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1860-1945 


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LIFE 


OF  THE 


REV.  JAMES  HERVEY. 


BY 


D.  A.  HAESIIA,  M.  A. 


'  O  THAT  MT  -WTIITINGS  MAT  EXALT  THE  DiVINE  SAVTOTTR.'— HcrVCy. 


Hervey'8  Birthplace. 


ALBANY : 

J.  IVrUNSELL,  78  STATE  STREET. 

1865. 


'■  t  '        a     1      i    2     J  >  1 


No.    ^^- 


Entered  according  to  Act  orCongress,  by 

D.  A.  Harsha, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the 

Northern  District  of    New  York. 


Edition  of  50  Copies. 


y^-r?f  ^- 


TO   THE 

REV.  JAMES  HERVEY  ANDREW, 

PASTOU   OF  THE    UNITED    PRESBYTERIAN    CHTOCH,    OF.  SOTTTH 
ARGTLE,   NEW   YORK, 

A  CLERGYMAN  WHOSK    GRAND  AIM   IN  HIS  PUBLIC  MINISTRY,  LIKB 

THAT  OF  THE  ILLUSTRIOUS  AND  EXCELLENT  DIVINE,  FOR 

WHOM  HE   IS   CALLED,  IS   TO   DISPLAY   THE 

UNSEARCHABLE    RICHES  OF  CHRIST,  THE    MATCHLESS   EFFICACY  OF 

HIS   DEATH,    AND   THAT    PERFECT   FREENESS   WITH   WHICH 

ALL   HIS   INVALUABLE    BENEFITS   ARE    BESTOWED^ 

THE  FOLLOWING   MEMOIR, 

AS  A  SMALL  TRIBUTE  OF  PERSONAL  REGARD, 
IS     RESPECTFULLY     INSCRIBED 

BY  THE  AUTHOR. 


'In  Hervet's  works  are  displj^ted  a  firm  faith  in 

THE  DIVINE  TESTIMONT,  AND  STRONG  TRAITS  OP  BENEVO- 
LENCE, IN  A  STYLE  TOO  RICH  AND  ORNAMENTAL  :  HE,  THERE- 
FORE, MAY  BE  READ  TO  GREAT  PROFIT,  IN  ORDER  TO 
STRENGTHEN  OUR  FAITH  IN  THE  PROMISES,  TO  RAISE  OUR 
AFFECTIONS  TOWARDS  HEAVEN,  AND  EVEN  TO  IMPROVE  OUR 
STYLE,  WHEN  THAT  VERGES  TO  THE  CONTRARY  EXTREME  OP 
POVERTY,  -WHETHER  OF  EXPRESSION,  DESCRIPTION,  OR  FIGU- 
RATIVE LANGUAGE  ;  BUT  A  RICH  FANCY  WITHOUT  A  CRITICAL 
JUDGMENT   SHOULD    BEWARE    OF    HeRVEY   AS    A    MODEL.' 

ffilliams'  Christian  Preacher. 

'  0,  THAT  THE  SPIRIT  OF  THE  LIVING  GOD  MAY  DIRECT  IT, 
THAT  WHOEVER  READS  HIS  WRITINGS,  MAY  LEARN  TO  HAVE 
NO  CONFIDENCE   IN   THE   FLESH,   BUT   TO   MAKE   MENTION   OF 

Jehovah's    righteousness    even   of  his  only  !' — Rev. 
If'l.lliam  Romaine. 

'  Hervey's  Meditations,  with  the  Pilgrim's  Progress, 
THE  Duty  of  Man,  and  the  Bible,  are  commonly  seen 
together  on  a  shelf  in  the  cottages  of  England.' 


PEEFACE. 


A  beautiful  illustration  of  the  Christian  cha- 
racter in  its  various  excellencies  is  exhibited  in 
the  life  of  the  pious  and  exemplary  James  Hervey. 
And  it  is  certainly  interesting,  edifying  and  pro- 
fitable for  the  sincere  disciple  of  Christ  to  contem- 
plate this  amiable  divine  in  the  daily  scenes  of  his 
calm  and  close  walk  with  God  ;  in  the  fervor  and 
sincerity  of  his  devotion  ;  in  the  ardor  and  con- 
stancy of  his  love  to  the  blessed  Redeemer — and 
to  the  souls  of  men  ;  in  the  peacefulness  and 
buoyancy  of  his  mind  amidst  afflictions  ;  and  in 
the  strength  and  triumph  of  his  fiiith  while  on  the 
borders  of  the  grave.  What  Christian  does  not 
also  love  to  think  of  him  in  his  admiration  of  the 
beauties  of  nature — in  his  tracing  the  power,  wis- 
dom, and  goodness  of  God  in  stars,  flowers,  and 
plants — in  his  winging  his  thoughts,  in  search  of 
themes  declarative  of  the  divine  glory, 

'  From  hill  to  hill,  from  field  to  grove. 
Across  the  waves,  aromid  the  sky !' 

It  has  been  the  aim  of  the  author  to  give  a  clear, 

succinct  and  comprehensive  account  of  the  leading 

events  of  Hervey's  useful  and  valuable  life,  and 

of  his  happy  and  triumphant  death  ;  and  to  make 

some  passing  reflections  on  the  more  prominent 

qualities  of  his  character. 


G  PKEFACE. 

The  materials  for  this  memorial  have  been  de- 
rived from  the  best  and  most  reliable  sources,  the 
principal  authorities  on  the  life  of  Hcrvey  having 
been  carefully  consulted.  The  author's  obligations 
are  especially  due  to  the  Life  and  Character'  of 
Heinjey^  by  John  Brown,  published  in  1822,  8vo. 

To  the  author  the  preparation  of  the  present 
brief  memoir  has  been  truly  a  labor  of  love  ;  and 
he  will  esteem  it  an  ample  recompense  for  his 
service  if  it  shall  be  the  means  of  inspiring  in  any 
reader  a  more  profound  reverence  for  the  memory 
of  one — 

'  Whose  page  and  soul  alike  breathe  humblest  love 
To  his  adored  Redeemer.' 

May  the  blessing  of  God  accompany  the  reading 
of  the  following  pages,  causing  the  memory  of 
Hervey  still  to  be  blessed,  and  making  his  writings 
the  honored  instrument  of  exalting  the  divine 
Saviour  more  and  more  throuo;h  all  comino-  time, 
till  in  realms  of  glory,  far  beyond  the  starry  sides, 
the  fading  flowers  of  earth  and  the  cold,  cheerless 
tomb,  ransomed  millions  shall  unite  in  that  won- 
drous, sweet,  unending  song,  with  which  the 
arches  of  heaven  shall  eternally  resound — '  Unto 
Him  that  loved  us,  and  washed  us  feom  our 
SINS  IN  His  oavn  blood,  and  hath  made  us  kings 

AND  PRIESTS  UNTO  GoD  AND  HiS  FaTHER  ;    TO  HeM 

be   glory  and  dominion  for  ever  and  ever. 
A:men.'  D.  a.  H. 

Argyle,  N.  Y.,  Seiit.  15,  1865. 


LIFE  OF 

Rev.  JAMES  HERVEY. 


James  Hervey  was  bom  ou  the  2Gtli  of  Febm- 
aiy,  1713,  at  the  village  of  Hardingstone,  about 
a  mile  from  Northampton,  England.  He  was  the 
son  of  an  Episcopal  Clergyman,  who  was  rector 
of  Collingtree,  within  two  miles  of  Hardingstone. 
He  was  first  taught  to  read  by  his  mother,  under 
whose  tuition  he  continued  till  he  had  reached 
his  seventh  year,  Avhen  he  was  sent  to  the  gram- 
mar school  of  Northampton.  There  he  remained 
about  ten  years,  acquiring,  in  this  long  period,  a 
critical  knowledge  of  the  Latin  and  Greek  lan- 
guages. The  foundation  of  his  classical  attain- 
ments was  laid  at  this  school. 

In  1731,  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  he  entered  the 
University  of  Oxford,  where  he  resided  about  five 
years.  While  at  the  University  he  met  with 
several  works  whose  perusal  afforded  him  great 
pleasure,  and  which  gave  him  a  higher  relish  for 
those  subjects  which  in  after  life  he  himself  so 


8  LIFE  OF  HERVEY. 

happily  illustrated.  Among  these  works  were 
Abbe  de  Pluche's  Mature  Displayed,  Derham's 
Astro-Theology,  and  Physico-Theology,  and  Ray's 
Wisdom  of  God  in  Creation,  Besides  these  books 
he  read  with  much  interest  and  profit  Spence's 
Five  Dialogues  on  Pope's  Translation  of  Homer,  an 
essay  which  he  often  declared  gave  him  a  greater 
insight  into  the  nature  and  beauty  of  composi- 
tion than  any  author  he  ever  read.* 

On  leaving  Oxford  in  1736,  he  returned  home, 
and  became  curate  for  his  father,  who  at  that 
time  officiated  as  pastor  of  a  church  in  Collingtree. 
On  leaving  his  father,  he  next  accepted  the  curacy 
of  Dummer,  in  Hampshire,  where  he  continued 
about   a  year,    preaching   to   a   poor,   illiterate 

*An  Essay  on  Pope's  Translation  of  Homer's  Odyssey,  by 
the  Rev.  Joseph  Spence,  8vo.  London,  1727,  second  edition, 
1737,  12mo.  '  One  of  the  most  pleasing  and  useful  pieces  of 
criticism  which  we  possess.' — Dr.  Drake. 

Mr.  Spence's  principal  work  is  entitled  Polymetis ;  or  an 
Inquiry  into  the  Agreement  betiveen  tM  Works  of  the  Roman 
Poets  and  the  Remains  of  Ancient  Artists.  London,  1747, 
royal  foUo.  His  Anecdotes,  Observations,  and  Character  of 
books  and  men,  collected  from  the  conversation  of  Mr.  Pope 
and  others,  were  published  by  S.  W.  Singer,  with  notes  and 
a  life  of  the  author,  London,  1820,  8vo.  port.,  second  edition, 
London,  1858.  This  is  also  a  very  useful,  interesting  and 
amusing  book.  Dr.  Dibdin  says :  '  This  is  one  of  the  most 
entertaining  volimies  of  literary  anecdote  imaginable,  and 
worthy  of  admittance  in  an  elegantly  furnished  hbrary.' 


LIFE  OF  HERVET.  9 

'  people,  to  Whom  the  Rev.  George  Whitefielcl  had 
previously  addressed  the  word  of  life.* 

When  he  left  tliis  place  iu  1738,  Hervey  was 
mvited  by  his  excellent  friend  Paul  Orchard,  Esq., 
to  his  delightful  residence  at  Stoke-Abbey,  in 
Devonshire,  where  he  spent  two  years  very  agree- 

shlrf  T'  '1  n^'  "^"'^  '^'^  '''''  ^^^"^^^^^^^  officiated''for  a 
shoit  tnne  at  Dummer.     He  was  then  in  the  23d  year  of  his 

age;  and  from  that  time  he  continued  to  preach  to  crowded 
congrega  ,ons  with  increasing  popularity.     He  was  a  little 
yo  mger  than  Hervey,  being  born  on  the  16th  of  December, 
1714.     He  died  on  the  30th  of  September,  1770      Hervey 
was  an  mtimate  friend  and  a  great  admirer  of  Whitefleld 
He  thus  speaks  of  a  visit  which  he  enjoyed  with  him  at  the 
hoase  of  a  gentleman  at  Northampton:    'I  have  lately  seen 
that  most  excellent  minister  of  the  ever-blessed  Jesus,  Mr. 
Whitefleld.     I  dined,  supped  and  spent  the  evening  with  him 
at  Northampton,  in  company  with  Dr.  Doddridge,  and  two 
pious,  ingenious  clergymen  of  the  church  of  England,  both  of 
them  known  to  the  learned  world  by  their  valuable  writings  • 
and  surely  I  never  spent  a  more  delightful  evening,  or  saw 
one  that  seemed  to  make  nearer  approaches  to  the  felicity  of 
heaven.    -A  gentleman  of  great  worth  and  rank  in  town 
mvited  us  to  his  house,  and  gave  us  an  elegant  treat,  but  how 
mean  was  his  provision,  how  course  his  dehcacies,  compared 
with  the  fruit  of  my  friend's  lips!   they   dropped  as  the 
honey-comb,  and  were  a  well  of  life.' 

Whitefleld  also  seems  to  have  had  the  hio-hest  regard  for 
Hervey.  He  says  :  '  The  author  of  the  Meditations  is  my  old 
friend;  a  most  heavenly-minded  creature,  who  is  contented 
with  a  small  pittance,  and  gives  all  chat  he  has  to  the  poor  ' 
For  excellent  accounts  of  this  extraordinary  man,  of  whom 
Lord  Bohngbroke  declared  that  he  had  'the  most  commanding 
eloquence  he  ever  heard  in  any  person,'  see  his  memoirs  by 
Dr.  GiUies,  Robert  Phihp,  and  Samuel  Drew. 


10  LIFE  OF  HERVEY. 

ably,  and  was  higWy  esteemed  by  this  hospitable 
family.  In  describing  the  charms  of  this  rural 
retreat,  he  says,  in  a  very  devotional  frame  of 
mind :  '  On  the  one  side,  a  vast  tract  of  land 
extends  itself,  finely  diversified  by  rising  trees, 
floating  corn,  and  pasturage  for  cattle  ;  on  the 
other  side  rolls  the  great  and  wide  sea,  where 
go  the  ships,  and  where  is  that  great  Levia- 
than. Which  way  soever  I  look,  I  meet  with 
footsteps  of  the  divine  immensity,  I  view  Thy 
great  and  marvellous  works,  Lord  God  Al- 
mighty, I  am  encountered  with  ten  thousand 
arguments  to  hear  Thy  tremendous  power,  and 
love  Thy  diflusive  goodness.'  In  1740,  Hervey 
removed  to  Bideford,  fourteen  miles  from  Stoke- 
Abbey,  and  ofiiciated  there  as  curate  more  than 
two  years. 

It  is  well  known  that  Hervey  preached  some 
time  before  he  experienced  the  power  of  religion 
in  his  own  soul, — before  he  discovered  the  pre- 
ciousness  of  Christ  and  His  spotless  righteousness. 
His  views  of  divine  truth  now  underwent  a 
radical  change ;  his  preaching  became  evangeli- 
cal; and  henceforth,  the  righteousness  of  the 
Redeemer, — a  righteousness  which  he  had  former- 
ly despised, — and  all  those  glorious  truths  which 
center  in  Christ  and  Him  crucified,  became  the 


LIFE  OF  HERVEY.  11 

grand  theme  of  his  miiiistnitions  in  the  pulpit 
and  his  labors  for  the  press.  Whitcfield  was  the 
honored  instrument  of  leading  Hervey  to  the 
knowled2:e  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  In  a 
letter  ta»Whitelield,  he  says:  '  Your  journals,  dear 
sir,  and  sermons,  especially  that  sweet  sermon 
upon  What  think  ye  of  Christ  ?  were  a  means  of 
bringing  me  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth.'  He 
also  derived  much  spiritual  benefit  from  a  perusal 
of  several  old  books  of  a  thoroughly  evangelical 
nature,  such  as  Jenks  on  Submission  to  Christ's 
Righteousness;*  Rawlin  on  Justification;  Thomas 
Hall  on  Perseverance^  in  the  Lime  Street  Lectm-es  ; 
Zimmerman  on  the  Excellency  of  the  Knowledge  of 
Christ;  Marshall  on  Sanctification;  Boston's  Four- 
fold State,^  and  Witsius  on  the  Covenants.  Several 
times  he  perused  some  of  the  sermons  of  Rev. 
Ebenezer  Erskine,  on  the  assurance  of  faith.     Of 

*'It  was  one  of  the  first  books  that  gave  me  an  insight  into 
the  truth  of  the  gospel,  as  the  way  of  salvation  by  the  infi- 
nitely glorious  obedience  of  our  Surety,  Jesus  Ghx'xsi.'' -Hervey. 

tWith  regard  to  Boston's  Four-fold  State,  Hervey  thus 
writes :  '  This,  in  my  opinion,  is  one  of  our  best  books  for 
common  readers,'  and  the  View  of  the  Covenant  of  Grace,  by 
the  same  author,  he  pronounces  'an  excellent  treatise.'  'The 
works  of  this  popular  and  learned  Scotch  divine,'  says  Lown- 
des, '  were  published  separately,  and  some  of  them  have  been 
frequently  reprinted,  particularly  his  "  Human  JVature  Z7i  its 
Fourfold  State." ' 


12  LIFE    OF    HERVEY. 

the  sermons  of  the  Erskines,  he  says  :  '  Was  I  to 

read,  with  a  single  view  to  the  edification  of  my 

heart  in  true  faith,  solid  comfort,  and  evangelical 

holiness,  I  would  have  recourse  to  Messrs.  Ebe- 

nezer  and  Ealph  Erskine,  and  take  their  yolumes 

for  my  guide,  my  companion,  and  my  own  familiar 

friend.'* 

While   at  Bideford,    he   planned   and    partly 

wrote  his  Meditations  and  Contemplations.     On 

a  ride  from  Bideford  to  Kilkhampton,  in  Cornwall, 

he  went  into  the  church,  and  there  laid  the  scene 

of  his  3Ieditations  amony  the  Tombs. '\ 

*Hervey  seems  to  have  also  been  a  great  admirer  of  the 
writings  of  Marshall,  and  of  Boston.  Speaking  of  INIarshall 
on  Sandification,  he  says  :  '  It  has  been  one  of  the  most  use- 
ful books  to  my  ovm  heart ;  I  scarce  ever  fail  to  receive  spirit- 
ual consolation  and  strength  from  the  perusal  of  it.'  It  is 
■worthy  of  observation  that  this  old  book  was  also  a  favorite 
with  Cowper,  the  Poet,  who  writes :  '  INIarshall  lies  on  my 
table,  and  is  an  old  acquaintance  of  mine ;  I  have  both  read 
him  and  heard  him  read,  with  pleasure  and  edification.  The 
doctrines  he  maintains  are,  under  the  influence  of  the  Spirit  of 
Christ,  the  very  Ufe  of  my  soul,  and  the  soul  of  all  my  hap- 
piness. I  think  Marshall  one  of  the  best  writers,  and  the 
most  spiritual  expositor  of  scripture  I  ever  read.  I  admire 
the  strength  of  his  argument  and  the  clearness  of  his  reasoning 
upon  the  parts  of  our  holy  religion,  which  are  least  understood, 
(even  by  real  Christians),  as  master-pieces  of  the  kind.' 

fit  was  also  in  a  church-yard  that  the  scene  was  laid  of  one 
of  the  most  admu-cd  poems  in  the  Enghsh  language, — Gray's 
Elegy.  There  is  a  tradition  that  it  was  composed  within  the 
precincts  of  the  church  of  Granchester,  about  two  miles  from 
Cambridge;  and  the  curfew  is  supposed  to  have  been  the 


LIFE   OP   HERVEY.  13 

To  Ilorvoy  a  church-yard  was  a  most  hallowed 

spot,  as  it  should  be  to  every  ouc  impressed  with 

the  vanity  of  this  mortal  life.     With  our  minds 

solemnized,  we  should  there  consider  '  the  end  of 

all  men,'  while  at  the  same  time,  we  should  raise 

our  views  to  those  heavenly  mansions  which  are 

prcpai-ed  for  the  righteous,  and  think  of  a  happy 

life  beyond  the  grave,  seeking  through  the  merits 

of  Christ  to  be  prepared  for  those  untold  and 

unending  felicities  which  are  at  God's  right  hand. 

How  beautifully  and  impressively  has  one  of  the 

most  gifted  of  our  poets  expressed  the  feelings 

with  which  a  Christian  should  approach  a  cemetery : 

Through  these  branched  walks  will  contemplation  wind. 
And  grave  wise  nature's  teachings  on  his  mind ; 
As  the  white  grave-stones  glimmer  to  his  eye, 
A  solemn  voice  will  thrill  him,  '  Thou  must  die ! ' 
When  Autumn's  tints  are  glittering  in  the  air, 
That  voice  will  whisper  to  his  soul,  '  Prepare ! ' 
When  Winter's  snows  are  spread  o'er  hill  and  dell, 
'  0,  this  is  death ! '  that  solemn  voice  will  swell ; 
But  when  with  Spring,  streams  leap,  and  blossoms  wave, 
'Hope,  Christian,  hope,'  'twill  say,   'there's  life  beyond  the 
grave.' — Alfred  B.  Street. 

great  bell  of  St.  Mary's.  Some  have  pointed  to  the  church- 
yard of  Stoke-Poges  church,  in  Buckinghamshire,  as  the 
scene  of  this  celebrated  poem.  The  Elegy  was  commenced 
about  the  year  1742,  revised  from  time  to  time,  and  published 
in  1751.  It  is  worthy  of  observation  that  Grey's  Elegy  and 
Hervey's  Meditations  Among  the  Tombs  were  projected  and 
written  about  the  same  time ;  both  were  commenced,  we  think, 
in  1742.  .^ 


14  LIFE    OF    HERVEY. 

In  the  summer-house  of  a  pleasant  garden 
belonging  to  the  family  with  whom  he  resided, 
Hervey  is  said  to  have  partly  composed  his  Con- 
templations on  the  Night,  and  on  the  Starry  Heavens. 

After  remaining  nearly  three  years  at  Bide- 
ford,  Hervey  returned,  in  1743,  to  Weston-Favel, 
and  ao-ain  officiated  as  curate  to  his  father  in  the 
charge  of  Colliugtree.  Before  taking  his  final 
leave  of  Bidcford,  he  was  called  to  witness  the 
death  of  an  infidel — a  scene  which  he  has  thus 
touchingly  described  : 

'  I  was  not  long  since  called  to  visit  a  poor 
gentleman,  erewhile  of  the  most  robust  body  and 
gayest  temper  I  ever  knew  ;  but  when  I  visited 
him,  O  how  was  the  glory  departed  from  him  1 
I  found  him  no  more  that  sprightly  vivacious  son 
of  joy  which  he  used  to  be,  but  languishing, 
pining  away,  and  withering  under  the  chastising 
hand  of  God  !  his  limbs  feeble  and  ti-cmbling,  his 
countenance  forlorn  and  ghastly,  and  the  little 
breath  he  had  left  sobbed  out  in  sorrowful  sighs  ! 
his  body  hastening  apace  to  the  dust,  to  lodge  in 
the  silent  grave,  the  land  of  darkness  and  desola- 
tion ;  his  soul  just  going  to  God  who  gave  it, 
preparing  itself  to  wing  its  way  to  its  long  home, 
to  enter  upon  an  unchangeable  and  eternal  state. 
When  I  was  come  up  into  his  chamber,  and  had 


LIFE    OF    IIERVEV.  15 

seated  myself  on  his  bed,  he  first  cast  a  most  wish- 
ful look  upon  me,  and  then  began,  as  he  was  able 
to  speak  :  "O  that  I  had  been  wise,  that  I  had 
understood  this,  that  I  had  considered  my  latter 
end  !  Ah  !  Mr.  Hervey,  death  is  knocking  at  my 
door  ;  in  a  few  hours  more  I  shall  draw  my  last 
gasp,  and  then  judgment,  the  tremendous  judg- 
ment !  How  shall  I  appear,  unprepared  as  I  am, 
before  the  all-knowing  and  omnipotent  God  ? 
How  shall  I  endure  the  day  of  His  coming  ?" 
When  I  mentioned,  among  many  other  things, 
that  strict  holiness  which  he  had  formerly  so 
lightly  esteemed,  he  replied  with  a  hasty  eager- 
ness, "  O,  that  holiness  is  the  only  thing  I  now 
long  for  !  I  have  not  words  to  tell  you  how  highly 
I  value  it ;  I  would  gladly  part  with  my  estate, 
large  as  it  is,  or  a  world,  to  obtain  it.  Now  my 
benighted  eyes  are  enlightened,  I  clearly  discern 
the  things  that  are  excellent.  What  is  there  to 
be  desired  in  the  place  whither  I  am  going  but 
God  ?  or  what  is  there  to  be  desired  on  earth  but 
religion  ?"  But  if  this  God  should  restore  you  to 
health,  said  I,  tliink  you  that  you  would  alter 
your  former  course? — "I  call  heaven  and  earth 
to  witness,"  said  he,  "I  would  labor  for  holiness, 
as  I  shall  soon  labor  for  life.  As  for  riches  and 
pleasures,  and  the  applauses  of  men,  I  account 


16  LIFE    OF    HEEVEY. 

them  as  gross  and  dung,  no  more  to  my  happiness 
than  the  feathers  that  lie  on  the  floor.     O,  if  the 
righteous  Judge  would  try  me  a  little  longer,  in 
what  spirit  would  I  spend  the  remainder  of  my 
days  !  I  would  know  no  other  business,  aim  at  no 
other  end,  than  perfecting  myself  in   holiness  : 
whatever   contributed    to   that,    every  mean   of 
grace,   every  opportunity  of  spiritual   improve- 
ment, should  be  dearer  to  me  than  thousands  of 
gold  and  silver  !    But  alas  !  why  do  I  amuse  my- 
self with  fond  imaginations  ?  The  best  resolutions 
are  now  insignificant,  because  they  are  too  late  : 
the  day  in  which  I  should  have  worked  is  over 
and  gone,  and  I  see  a  sad,  horrible  night  approach- 
ino-,  brine-ino;  with  it  the  blackness  of  darkness 
forever.  Heretofore,  (wo  is  me  !)  when  God  called, 
I  refused ;  when  He  invited,  I  was  one  of  them 
that  made  excuse  ;  now,  therefore,  I  receive  the 
rewards  of  my  deeds, — fearfulness  and  trembling 
are  come  upon  me  :  I  smart,  I  am  in  sore  anguish 
already,  yet  this  is  but  the  beginning  of  sorrows  ! 
It  doth  not  yet  appear  what  I  shall  be  ;  but  sure 
I  shall  be  ruined,  undone,  and  destroyed  with  an 
everlasting  destruction !"     This  sad  scene  I  saw 
with  my   eyes ;  these   words,    and  many   more 
equally  affecting,  I  heard  with  my  ears  ;  and  soon 
after  attended  the  unhappy  gentleman  to  his  tomb.' 


LIFE    OF   IIERVEY.  17 

In  174G,  Ilervcy  gave  to  the  world  his  Medita- 
tions among  the  ToinJbs,  Reflections  on  a  Flower- 
Garden,  and  a  Descant  on  Creation,  by  which  he 
speedily  acquired  literary  fame.  In  the  followiiio- 
year  appeared  his  Conte^njplations  on  the  Night ; 
on  the  Starry  Heavens  ;  and  a  Winter  Piece. 

These  various  productions  are  usually  bound 
together,  and  referred  to  as  one  work,  under  the 
title  of  Meditations.     In  speaking  of  this  work, 
Dr.  Jamieson,  in  his  Cgclopcedia  of  Religious  Bio- 
graphy, very  justly  remarks  :  '  It  was  received  with 
very  general  admiration,  and  although  Dr.  Blair 
and   other  arbiters  of  literary  taste  have    con- 
demned its  style  as  too  florid,  full  of  puerile  con- 
ceits, and  often  bordering  on  turgidity,  yet  the 
vein  of  piety  that  runs  through  it,  together  with 
the   attractive   nature  of  the   subject,  procured 
it  high  favor  in  spite  of  its  acknowledged  defects 
in  style.     Indeed,  there  is  reason  to  believe  that 
the  very  features  which  those  critics  censured  as 
unseemly  blemishes,  formed,  in  the  judgment  of 
multitudes,  one  of  the  chief  attractions  of  the 
work.*     At  all  events  it  enjoyed  a  most  extensive 
*Dr.  Allibone,  in  his  valuable  Dictionary  of  Authors ,  remarks 
ynih.  equal  appropriateness  respecting  this  work  :  'The  style 
of  the  Meditations  is  highly  poetical,  and  abounds  in  imagery 
not  always  of  the  most  classical  description ;  but  this  flori- 
dity,  which  displeased  the  critics,  enchanted  the  multitude.' 
Southey  also  observes  that  the  work  is  'not  more  laudable  in 
its  purport  than  vicious  in  its  style,  and,  therefore,  one  of  the 
most  popular  that  ever  was  written.' 

o* 


18  LIFE    OF    HERVET. 

popularity ;  edition  after  edition  was  issued,  and 
the  press  for  several  years  could  -udtli  difficulty 
supply  the  pressing  demand.'* 

Hervey's  health,  in  1750,  was  greatly  im- 
paired in  consequence  of  too  close  application 
to  his  studies  ;  and  his  friends,  believing  that  a 
relaxation  of  mind  and  a  change  of  air  were 
necessary  to  give  vigor  to  his  feeble  constitution, 
formed  the  design,  which  they  accomplished,  of 
conveying  him  to  Loudon,  '  under  a  pretense  of 
riding  a  few  miles  in  a  friend's  post-chaise,  who 
was  going  thither.'  Soon  after  he  was  thus 
unexpectedly  removed  from  the  parish  of  Colling- 
tree  to  London,  he  addressed  the  following  words 
to  his  beloved  flock,  which  are  highly  characte- 
ristic, beautiful  and  impressive  : 

'  My  departure  from  Northampton  was  sudden 
and  unexiDccted  ;  could  I  have  seen  my  people, 
and  given  them  my  parting  advice,  it  should  have 

*  The  second  edition  of  the  Meditations  was  pubhshed  in 
1748,  in  2  vols.  12mo ;  and  the  twenty-seventh,  in  1804.  Last 
edition,  in  1855,  12mo.  In  blank  verse,  by  Thos.  Newcomb, 
1757,  2  vols.  8vo.  In  1796,  Mr.  T.  Heptinstall  published  a 
beautiful  edition  with  fine  steel  engravings,  2  vols,  royal  8vo., 
London.  There  is  another  edition  Avith  illustrations  by 
WestaU,  London,  1818,  12mo.  These  iUustrated  editions  are 
now  very  scarce.  A  fine  copy  of  Heptinstall's  edition,  large 
PAPER,  early  impression  of  the  plates,  is  in  the  author's  private 
library.     Such  a  copy  has  been  sold  in  England  for  £2  17s. 


LIFE   OF   HERVEY.  19 

been  in  the  words  ol"  that  good  man  Barnabas, 
who  exhorted  all  the  disciples,  that  with  purpose 
of  heart  they  should  cleave  unto  the  Lord.  Cleave, 
my  dear  friends,  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Cleave 
to  His  word;  let  the  word  of  Cln-ist  dwell  in  you 
richly,  and  l3e  your  meditation  all  the  day  long. 
Let  the  Bible,  that  inestimable  book,  be  often  in 
your  hand,  and  its  precious  truths  in  your 
thoughts.  Thus  let  us  sit,  with  holy  men,  at  the 
feet  of  Jesus,  and  I  hope  you  shall  experience  His 
word  to  drop  as  the  rain,  and  distil  as  the  dew. 
Cleave  to  His  merits;  fly  to  His  divine  blood  for 
pardon  ;  it  is  the  fountain  opened  for  sin  and  for 
uncleanness.  It  purges  from  all  guilt,  and  takes 
away  all  sin ;  and,  blessed  be  God,  it  is  always 
open,  always  free  of  access.  Fly  to  His  righteous- 
ness ;  let  us  renounce  our  own,  and  rely  on  His 
obedience  :  what  unprofitable  servants  are  we  ! 
how  slothful  is  our  life  !  how  imperfect  in  every 
work  !  But  as  for  Christ,  His  work  is  perfect ;  it 
is  complete  and  infinitely  meritorious.  In  this 
shall  all  the  seed  of  Israel,  all  true  believers,  be 
justified,  and  in  this  shall  they  glory.  Cleave  to 
His  Spirit ;  seek  for  the  Divine  Spirit.  Cry 
mightily  to  God  for  the  Divine  Spirit.  Let  them 
that  have  it,  pray  that  they  may  have  it  more 
abundantly,  and  be  even  filled  with  the  Spirit. 


20  ^         LIFE    OF    HERVEY. 

This  blessed  Spirit  reveals  Christ,  strengthens 
faith,  quickens  love,  and  purifies  the  heart.  Christ 
died  to  obtain  this  Spirit  for  us  ;  He  intercedes  for 
us,  that  we  may  receive  it ;  and  His  heavenly 
Father,  for  His  sake,  has  promised  (O  glorious 
privilege  !)  to  give  it  more  readily  than  a  parent 
gives  bread  to  a  hungry  child.  Cleave  to  IBs 
example;  study  His  whole  life,  eye  His  unblame- 
able  conduct,  obsei've  His  amiable  temper  ;  look 
to  this  heavenly  pattern,  as  those  who  learn  to 
write  look  to  their  copy  ;  and  God  grant  that  we 
all,  with  open  face,  beholding  the  glory  of  the 
Lord,  may  be  changed  into  the  same  image  from 
glory  to  glory,  even  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord. 
Then  let  us  cleave  to  Christ  the  Lord — cleave 
.with  full  purpose  of  heart,  incessantly,  closely, 
inseparably.  Let  us  say  with  our  father  Jacob,  I 
will  not  let  thee  go.  In  the  happy,  happy  man- 
sions above  may  we,  and  many,  very  many  of 
my  dear  flock,  meet,  and  never  be  parted  more.' 

Hervcy  remained  in  London  nearly  two  years, 
employing  himself,  as  he  was  able,  in  wi-iting  and 
revising.  On  his  father's  death  in  1752,  he  left 
the  metropolis,  and  became  rector  of  Weston-Favel 
and  Collingtree,  where  he  '  devoted  himself  to  his 
sacred  duties  with  a  zeal  and  assiduity  greater 


LIFE    OF    IIERVEY.  21 

than  before.  In  the  intervals  of  his  public  labors, 
however,  he  still  prosecuted  his  literary  studies.'* 
At  Weston  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days  in 
a  beautiful,  rural  situation,  which  his  own  pen  has 
thus  described  :  '  Weston  is  near  Northampton, 
about  two  miles  from  the  town,  pleasantly  situa- 
ted on  an  agreeable  eminence,  on  the  right  side 
of  the  river  [Nen],  and  a  proper  distance  from  the 
meadow.  My  house  is  quite  retired  ;  it  faces  the 
garden  and  the  field,  so  that  we  hear  none  of  the 
tumultuous  din  of  the  world,  and  see  nothing  but 
the  wonderful  and  charming  works  of  the  Creator. 
O  that  I  may  be  enabled  to  improve  this  advan- 
tageous solitude  !  Though  secluded  from  the  gay 
and  busy  scenes  of  life,  may  I  ever  be  present 
with  that  Divine  Being  w^ho  has  heaven  for  His 
throne  and  the  earth  for  His  footstool ;    whose 

*  Among  the  many  warm  personal  friends  of  Hervey  was 
the  Rev.  Risdon  Darracott,  a  student  of  Dr.  Doddridge,  and 
a  man  whom  Whitefield  has  called  '  a  flaming  and  successful 
preacher  of  the  gospel.'  Speaking  of  his  first  meeting  with 
Hervey  at  Weston-Favel,  Mr.  Darracott  says  :  'While  a  stu- 
dent under  Dr.  Doddi-idge,  I  had  an  interview  with  Mr. 
Hervey  at  a  good  man's  house,  who  belonged  to  the  doctor's 
church,  and  lived  in  the  parish  of  Weston-Favel :  though  it 
is  nineteen  years  ago,  I  retain  a  delightful  mipression  of  our 
converse  then.'  Darracott  was  born  in  1717,  and  died  in 
1759,  in  the  forty-second  year  of  his  age.  The  words  which 
fell  from  his  lips  in  his  last  moments,  remind  one  of  the  dying 
sayings  of  Janeway,  of  Brainard,  and  of  Payson.  See  an 
interestina;  Life  of  Darracott,  bv  Rev.  Mr.  Bennet. 


22  LIFE    OF    HERVEY. 

mercy  in  Christ  Jesus  is  like  liis  majesty,  exceed- 
ingly great  and  infinite.'* 

Hervey  was  one  of  the  greatest  admirers  of  the 
charms  of  rural  nature — of  flowery  gardens — of 
fields  clothed  in  verdure — of  lakes,  rivers,  and 
murmuring  streams — of  calm  retreats  by  the  side 
of  cooling  fountains — of  groves  and  forests  stirred 
by  the  gentle  breezes  of  summer,  and  made  vocal 
by  the  music  of  birds  ; — and  of  the  glorious  fii-ma- 
ment  studded  with  innumerable  stars.  Often  did 
he  view  through  his  telescope  the  magnificence 
of  the  skies.  While  alluding,  on  one  occasion,  to 
the  beauties  and  attractions  of  rural  scenes,  he 
exclaims  :  '  O !  ye  blooming  walks  and  flowery 
lawns  surrounded  with  dewy  landscapes  !  how 
often  have  patriots  and  heroes  laid  aside  the  bur- 
den of  power,  and  stole  away  from  the  glare  of 
grandeur,  to  enjoy  themselves  in  your  composed 
retreat !  Ye  mossy  couches  and  fragrant  bowers, 
skirted  with  cooling  cascades !  how  many  illus- 
trious personages,  after  all  their  glorious  toil  for 
the  public  good,  have  sought  an  honorable  and 
welcome  repose  in  your  downy  lap  !  Ye  vene- 
rable oaks  and  solemn  groves  !  woods  that  whisper 
to  the  quivering  gale  !  cliffs  that  overhang  the 
darkened  flood  1  who  can  number  the  sages  and 

*  Letters  to  Lady  F.  Shirley,  Letter  31. 


LIFE    OF    IIERVEY.  23 

saints  that  have  devoted  tlie  clay  to  study,  or 
resigned  a  vacant  hour  to  healthy  exercise  beneath 
your  sylvan  porticos  and  waving  arches  ?  that, 
far  from  the  dull  impertinence  of  man,  have  lis- 
tened to  the  instructive  voice  of  God,  and  con- 
templated the  works  of  His  adorable  hand,  amidst 
your  moss-grown  cells  and  rocky  shades  ?  How 
inelegant  or  how  insensible  is  the  mind,  which 
has  no  awakened,  lively  relish  for  these  sweet 
recesses,  and  their  exquisite  beauties  !'* 

In  the  gardens  and  pleasant  fields  around  Wes- 
ton, Hervey  spent  many  a  deliglitful  hour  in  con- 
templating the  works  of  nature,  and  in  sweet 
communion  with  God.  To  his  devout  and  refined 
mind  his  garden  became  a  preacher,  and  '  its 
blooming  tenants  were  so  many  lively  sermons.' 
As  he  is  about  to  pen  the  following  passage  in 
his  T heron  and  Asjxmo,  our  fancy  sees  him  sit- 

*  How  beautifully  are  such  sentiments  unfolded  in  poetic 
strains,  and  in  the  chastest  language  by  William  C.  Bryant, 
in  his  inimitable  Forest  Hymn.  Who  that  looks  upon  a  noble 
forest  cannot  say  with  Mr.  Bryant  : 

'  But  let  me  to  these  solitudes 
Retire,  and  in  Thy  presence  reassure. 
My  feeble  virtue. 

*  *  * 

'  Be  it  ours  to  meditate 
In  these  calm  shades  Thy  milder  majesty. 
And  to  the  beautiful  order  of  Thy  works 
Learn  to  conform  the  order  of  our  lives.' 


24  LIFE  OF  HERVEY. 

ting  by  the  window  of  his  study  on  one  of  tnose 
snnuy  days  of  early  autumn,  when  nature  is 
di'essed  in  her  golden  pomp,  and  casting  his  eye 
over  the  rich  and  beautiful  landscape  spread 
before  him  : 

'  Opposite  to  the  room  in  which  I  write,  is  a 
most  agreeable  prospect  of  the  gardens  and  the 
fields.  T/ie^e  covered  with  herbage  and  loaded 
with  corn ;  those  adorned  with  flowers  and 
abounding  with  esculents  ;  all  appearing  with  so 
florid  and  so  beautiful  an  aspect,  that  they  really 
seem,  in  conformity  to  the  Psalmist's  descriptiou, 
even  to  laugh  and  sing.  Let  me  just  observe, 
that  all  these  fine  scenes,  all  these  rich  produc- 
tions sprung — from  what  ?  from  the  dissolution 
of  the  respective  seeds.  The  seeds  planted  by 
the  gardener,  and  the  grain  sown  by  the  hus 
bandman,  first  perished  in  the  ground,  and  then 
the  copious  increase  arose.  Much  in  the  same 
manner  a  true  faith  in  Christ  and  His  righteous- 
ness arises — from  what  ?  from  the  ruins  of  self- 
sufliciency,  and  the  death  of  a  personal  excellency. 
Let  me  therefore  entreat  my  Theron,  still  to  keep 
an  eye  on  the  depravity  of  his  nature,  and  the 
miscarriages  of  his  life  ;  the  more  clearly  we  see, 
the  more  deeply  we  feel  our  guilt  and  our  misery, 


LIFE  OF  HERVEY.  25 

the  more  liiglily  shall  we  value  the  obedience  of 
our  blessed  Surety.  In  such  a  heart,  faith  ^-ill 
flourish  as  a  rose,  and  lift  up  its  head  like  a  cedar 
in  Lebanon.' 

In  1752,  Hervey  published,  in  an  8vo.  volume, 
his  Reimirks  on  Lord  Bolinghrohe^s  Letters  on 
the  Study  and  Use  of  History,  so  far  as  they 
relate  to  the  History  of  the  Old  Testament,  cfr.,  a 
work  which  he  had  prepared  while  residing  in 
London.  In  the  following  year  he  preached  his 
excellent  sermon  at  Northampton,  on  The  Cross  of 
Christ,  the  Christianas  Glory.  In  the  same  year 
he  wrote  a  preface  for  Eichard  Burnham's  Pious 
Meftnorials;  or  the  Poioer  of  Religion  iqjoii  the 
Mind,  in  Sickness  and  at  Death.*  In  1755,  he 
gave  to  the  world,  in  three  volumes  8vo.,  one  of  his 
most  important  and  useful  publications — Theron 
and  Asjpasio,  "WTitten  in  the  form  of  a  dialogue, 
'  a  work  which  has  long  been  a  great  favorite  with 
large  circles  of  Christian  readers,  and  which,  in 
many  instances,  has  been  instrumental  in  the  con- 
version of  persons  of  great  name.  It  i^ossesses 
all  the  literary  as  well  as  pious  characteristics  of 

*'  The  preface  to  this  -R^ork,  consisting  of  short  anecdotes, 
interspersed  with  devout  reflections,  was  written  by  the  Rev 
James  Ilervey,  author  of  the  Meditations.  An  edition  was 
published  by  Burder,  1820^  8vo.' — Lowndes. 

3 


26  LIFE  OF  HERVEW 

Hervey's  wi-itings,  and  was  doubtless  indel)ted  to 
its  exhibition  of  those  qualities  for  the  favorable 
reception  it  met  with.'     The  main  design  of  this 
work  is  to  exhibit,  in  as  clear  a  light  as  possible, 
the  distinguishing  doctrines  of  Christianity,  espe- 
cially the  subject  of  a  sinner's  justification  before 
God,  by  the  imputed  righteousness  of  Christ, — a 
doctrine  which  Luther  has  justly  styled  '  articidus 
stantis  vel  cadentis  ecclesim.''     In  the  preface  of 
this   work,  Hervey  thus   mentions  its   principal 
object  :  '  The  beauty  and  excellency  of  the  Scrip- 
tures,— the  ruin  and  depravity  of  human  nature, — 
its  happy  recovery,  founded  on  the  atonement, 
and  effected  by  the  Spirit  of  Christ, — are  some  of 
the    chief    points    vindicated,    illustrated,    and 
applied   in  this   work.     But  the  grand   article, 
that  which   makes  the   principal   figure,  is   the 
IMPUTED  EiGHTEOUSKESS  of  our  diviue  Lord ;  from 
whence  arises  our  justification  before  God,  and 
our  title  to  every  heavenly  blessing  :  an  article, 
which  though  eminent  for  its  importance,  seems 
to  be  little  understood  and  less  regarded  ;  if  not 
much  mistaken,  and  almost  forgotten.'     The  pub- 
lication of  Theron  and  Aspasio  gave  rise  to  a 
controversy  on  the  leading  doctrine  of  which  it 
ti-eats.     It  was  attacked  by  several  writers,  among 


LIFE    OF   IIERVEY.  27 

whom  were  John  Wesley*  and  Robert  Sande- 
man,t  of  Edinburgh,  the  Glassite,  Avhile  it  Avas 
defended  l)y  Rev.  Mr.  Cudworth,  pastor  of  an 
independent  congregation  in  London,  and  David 
Wilson,  a  Scotch  seceding  minister,  also  pastor  of 
a  church  in  London.  Hervey  answered  the  objec- 
tions of  his  opponents  in  his  Aspasio  Viiidicated, 
a  posthumous  pu])licatiou,  issued  from  the  press 
in  17G6.  One  has  remarked  of  this  treatise,  in 
rather  extravagant  terms,  however,  that  it  con- 
tains '  the  best,  the  most  evangelical,  and  the  most 
elaborate  account  of  that  righteousness,  which  is 
imputed  to  a  sinner  for  his  justification  ;  and  will 
be  read  with  the  highest  delight,  by  every  one 

*While  a  student  at  Lincoln  College,  Oxford,  Hervey  was 
intimately  acquainted  with  Wesley,  whom  he  highly  esteemed. 
Wesley  was  at  that  time  a  fellow  of  that  college,  and  a  tutor 
of  Hervey,  who  has  acknowledged  his  kindness  to  his  teacher 
in  the  following  passage  :  '  I  heartily  thank  you,  as  for  all 
other  favors,  so  especially  for  teaching  me  Hebrew.  I  have 
cultivated  this  study  again,  according  to  your  advice.  I  can 
never  forget  that  tender-hearted  and  generous  fellow  of  Lin- 
coln, who  condescended  to  take  such  compassionate  notice  of 
a  poor  under-graduate,  whom  almost  everybody  contemned, 
and  no  man  cared  for  my  soul.'  Hervey  and  Wesley  subse- 
quently differed  on  theological  questions ;  the  former  adopting 
Calvinistic  sentiments,  and  the  latter  adhering  to  Arminianism. 

t  The  reader  should  peruse  the  Rev.  Andrew  Fuller's 
Slridureson  Sandemanianism,  in  which  the  errors  of  Mr.  San- 
deman  and  Mr.  Glasse  are  ably  exposed  and  disproved,  and 
the  doctrines  of  the  gospel  clearly  exhibited. 


28  LIFE   OF   HERVEY. 

that  adores  the  Sou  of  God  as  the  Lord  our 
Righteousness* 

In  the  summer  of  1757,  Hervey  published  three 
sermons,  which  he  preached  on  public  fast  days 
during  that  year — '  The  Time  of  Danger,^  '  The 
Means  of  Safetg,'  and  '  The  Wag  of  ffoliness.'f 
These  excellent  discourses,  well  exhibit  his  fervid 
and  genuine  piety,  and  his  earnest  desire  to  pro- 
mote the  cause  of  the  Redeemer's  Kingdom  ;  and 
we  are  quite  sure  that  they  will  be  read  with 
great  interest,  delight  and  profit  by  all  whose 
hearts  are  glowing  with  love  to  God,  and  to  the 
souls  of  men.  In  the  same  year  he  edited,  with 
a  preface  the  second  edition  of  Jenks'  Meditations, 
in  two  volumes,  8vo. 

After  Hervey  had  labored  six  years  in  the 
discharge  of  his  ministry  at  Weston  and  Col- 
lingtree,  it  became  apparent,  from  alarming 
sjniiptoms,  that  his  earthly  career  was  rapidly 
drawing  to  a  close.     For  many  years  he  had  been 

* '  This  lavish  use  of  superlatives  which  has,  unfortunately 
for  the  interests  of  legitimate  criticism,  become  so  common — 
this  "bestin  the  language,"  "unrivalled,"  "unsurpassed," — is 
our  special  aversion.' — S.  A.  Allibone,  LL.  D.,  in  his  Dic- 
tionary of  Authors,  article  Thomas  Gray. 

fA  complete  edition  of  Hervey's  works  was  published  in 
7  vols.  8vo.  London,  1797.  Another  edition  was  issued  in 
6  vols.  8vo.  1806,  Newcastle,  and  still  another  in  6  vols.  12mo. 
London,  1825.  '  Hervey's  works  are  still  held  in  considerable 
estimation.' — Lowndes. 


LIFE    OF    HERVEY.  29 

an  invalid,  and  was  frequently  brought  to  the 
brink  of  the  grave.  But  in  all  his  afflictions  he 
was  patient,  cheerful  and  resigned.  The  follow- 
ing extracts  from  his  letters,  written  during  sea- 
sons of  affliction,  in  the  last  years  of  his  life,  show 
his  inward  joy,  his  peace  of  mind,  his  confidence 
in  God,  his  love  to  the  Saviour,  and  his  well- 
grounded  hope  of  immortal  glory  in  the  heavenly 
mansions  : — '  Perhaps  it  may  be  expedient  for  us 
to  be  visited  with  affliction  ;  it  may  tend  to  wean 
our  affections  from  a  vale  of  tears,  and  raise  and 
fix  them  where  true  joys  are  to  be  found  :  in 
those  mansions  which  Christ  is  gone  to  prepare, 
in  those  alone,  complete  happiness  and  consum- 
mate righteousness  dwell.  Every  languor  that 
oppresses  us,  every  pain  that  chastises  us,  is  a 
friendly  monitor  ;  it  tells  us  we  are  strangers  and 
pilgrims  below ;  it  bids  us  look  upon  the  heav- 
enly halntations  as  our  home,  and  never  think 
ourselves  thorougly  happy  till  we  are  absent  from 
the  body,  and  present  with  the  Lord.  May  the 
disorders  which  I  daily  feel  have  this  desirable 
efiect  on  my  heart.' — '  I  write  as  a  poor  prisoner, 
who  lately  expected  to  have  the  sentence  of  death 
executed.  May  I  never  forget  how  much  I  shall 
want  an  assured  faith  in  the  all-glorious  Redeemer 
when  the  awful  change  approaches.     The  faith- 


30  LIFE    OF    HERVEY. 

fulness,  the  goodness,  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
Christ,  apprehended  by  a  sweetly-assured,  soul- 
reviving  faith, — these  are  our  sovereign  support 
under  all  our  troubles,  and  our  most  effectual 
preservative  from  all  temptation ;  we  believe, 
blessed  Jesus  !  help  our  unbelief.' — '  What  a 
dying  life  is  mine  !  Every  blast  pierces  me,  and 
every  cold  crushes  me.  Blessed,  forever  blessed, 
be  God  through  Christ  for  a  better  life  and  a 
happier  state  in  the  heavens,  where  we  shall  be 
lauofuid  no  more,  afflicted  no  more,  and  O ! 
delightful  consideration  !  ungrateful  to  the  dying 
Jesus  no  more  ;  sin  against  the  amiable  God-man 
no  more.' — '  I  am  this  day  a  prisoner  in  my  cham- 
ber, and  wi"ite  in  much  pain.  Blessed  be  God 
for  that  world  where  all  tears  will  be  wiped  away 
from  our  eyes,  and  there  will  be  no  more  pain  ! 
and  blessed  be  God  for  a  Saviour,  who  is  the  way 
to  these  happy  mansions,  and  the  door  of  admis- 
sion into  them.' 

'  Now  I  apprehend  myself  near  the  close  of  life, 
and  stand  as  it  were  upon  the  brink  of  the  grave, 
with  eternity  full  in  my  view.  Perhaps  you  will 
be  willing  to  know  my  sentiments  of  things  ;  in 
this  a^vful  situation,  at  such  a  juncture,  the  mind 
is  most  unprejudiced,  and  the  judgment  not  so 
liable  to  be  dazzled  by  the  glitter  of  worldly 


LIFE  OF  IIERVEY.  31 

ohjocts.     I  have  read  of  a  person,  who  was  often 
retired  and  on  his  knees,  was  remarkable  for  his 
frequency  and  fervency  in  devotion  ;  l^eing  asked 
the  reason  of  this  so  singuhir  l)chavior,  he  replied, 
"Because  I  know  I  must  die."     I  assure  you  I 
feel  the  weight  of  this  answer,  I  see  the  wisdom 
of  this  procedure,  and,  was  my  span  to  be  length- 
ened, would  endeavor  always  to  remember  the 
one,  and  daily  to  imitate    the  other.      I  think, 
also,  we  fail  in  our  dut}%  and  thwart  our  comfort, 
by  studying  God's  holy  Word  no  more.    Was  I  to 
renew  my  studies,  I  would  resign  the  delights  of 
modern  wit  and  eloquence,  and  devote  my  atten- 
tion to  the  Scriptures  of  truth  ;  I  would  sit  with 
much  assiduity  at  my  Divine  Master's  feet,  and 
desire  to  know  nothing  but  Christ,  and  Him  cru- 
cified.    This  is  wisdom,  whose  fruits  are  peace  in 
life,  consolation  in  death,  and  everlasting  salva- 
tion after  death.    This  I  would  seek,  tliis  I  would 
explore,  through    the   spacious    and   delightful 
fields  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments.     In  short, 
I  would  adopt  the  resolutions  of  the  apostles,  give 
myself  unto  prayer,  and  to  the  Word.  With  regard 
to  my  public  ministry,  my  chief  aim  should  be  to 
beget  in  my  people's  minds  a  deep  sense  of  their 
depraved,  guilty,  undone  condition,  and  a  clear, 
believing  conviction  of  the  all-sufliciency  of  Christ, 


32  LIFE    OF    HERVEY. 

by  His  blood,  His  righteousness,  Hjs  intercession, 
and  His  Spirit,  to  save  them  to  the  uttermost.  I 
■would  always  observe  to  labor  for  them  in  my 
closet  as  well  as  in  the  pulpit,  and  wrestle  in 
secret  supplications,  as  well  as  exert  myself  in 
public  preaching,  for  their  spiritual  and  eternal 
welfare  ;  for  unless  God  take  this  work  into  His 
own  hand,  what  mortal  is  sufficient  for  it  ?  Now, 
perhaps,  if  you  sat  at  my  right  hand,  you  would 
ask  what  is  my  hope  with  regard  to  my  futiu-e 
and  immortal  state  ?  Truly  my  hope,  my  whole 
hope,  is  even  in  the  Lord  Redeemer.  Should  the 
king  of  terrors  threaten,  I  flee  to  the  wounds  of 
the  slaughtered  Lamb,  as  the  trembling  dove  to 
the  clifts  of  the  rock.  Should  Satan  accuse,  I 
plead  the  Surety  of  the  covenant,  who  took  my 
guilt  upon  Himself,  and  bare  my  sins  in  His  own 
body  on  the  accursed  tree,  on  purpose  that  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth  might  be  blessed.  Should 
hell  open  its  jaws,  I  look  up  to  that  gracious 
Being  who  says,  "Deliver  from  going  down  to 
the  pit,  for  I  have  found  a  ransom."  Should  it 
be  said,  No  unclean  thing  can  enter  heaven  ;  my 
answer  is,  "The  blood  of  Jesus  his  Son  cleanseth 
us  from  all  sin.  Though  my  sins  be  as  scarlet, 
they  shall  be  white  as  snow."  Should  it  be  added, 
None  can  sit  down  at  the  marriage-supper  of  the 


LIFE    OF    UERVEY.  33 

Laml)  witlioiit  a  Avcdding   garment ;    and  your 

riiiliteonsncsscs,  what  are  they  before  the  pure  law 

and  piercing  eye  of  God,  l)ut  liUhy  rags  ?     These 

I  renounce,  and  seek  to  ])e  found  in  the  Lord  my 

Iviiihtcousness.    It  is  written  in  the  Word  that  shall 

judge  the  world  at  the  last  day,   "  By  His  oliedi- 

ence    shall  many  be  made   righteous  ;"    so   that 

Jesus,   the  dear  and  adorable  Jesus,   is  all  my 

trust ;  His  merits  are  my  staff,  when  I  pass  through 

the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death  ;  His  merits  are 

my  anchor,  when  I   launch  into   the   boundless 

ocean  of  eternity.     If  the  God  of  glory  pleases  to 

take  notice  of  any  of  my  mean  endeavors  to  honor 

His  holy  name,  it  will  be  infinite  condescension 

and  grace  ;  but  His  Son,  His  righteousness  and  His 

sufferings,  is  all  my  hope  and  salvation.' 

'I  have  been  extremely  ill,  hovering  upon  the 

brink  of  eternity.     The  doctor  was  twice  sent  for 

by  a  special  messenger,  from  an  apprehension 

that  my  dissolution  was  approaching.     You  will 

probably  be  desirous  to  know  how  my  mind  was 

affected  in  such  circumstances  of  peril  and  pain. 

The  pain  too  often  disturbed  my  advertence  to 

the  gracious  God,  and  interrupted  my  application 

to  his  Almighty  Majesty.     Ah  !  how  unwise  is  it, 

or  rather,  how  desperately  hazardous,  to    defer 

the  srreat  work  of  reconciliation  with  our  Creator 

2 


34  LIFE    OF    HERVEY. 

to  a  languishing  and  dying  bed  !  when  the  anguish 
is  frequently  so  strong,  that  it  quite  shatters  the 
thought,  and  renders  incapable  of  attending  to 
anything  but  the  load  of  affliction.     With  regard 
to  death,  I  humbly  bless  the  divine  goodness  I 
was  under  no  terrifying  apprehensions  ;  it  was 
desirable  rather  than  dreadful, — the  thing  that  I 
longed  for,  rather  than  deprecated.     A  believing 
contemplation  of  God's  rich  mercy,  of  Christ's 
unspeakably  glorious  atonement,  enabled  me  to 
say  with   the  apostle,    "  O  death  !  where  is  thy 
sting  ?    O  grave  !  where  is  thy  victory  ?"     How 
great,  then,  is   the   efficacy,  and   how  precious 
should   be  the  interests,    of  that  holy  religion, 
which   could  support  the  weakest  of  creatures, 
when  all  earthly  succours  failed,  and  could  give 
courage  to  the  most  obnoxious  of  sinners,  even 
when  summoned  to  his  final  trial !    O  let  us  daily 
get   a   clearer    knowledge   of    the    all-sufficient 
Kedeemcr,  a  fin-mer  establishment  in  His  merits, 
and  a  growing  conformity  to  His  image  !     It  is 
Christ   that  unstings  death  ;    it  is  the   glorious 
Captain  of  our  salvation  that  emboldens  us  to 
triumph  over  the  last  enemy.     Old  Simeon,  hav- 
ing the  child  Jesus  in  the  arms  of  his  flesh,  and 
the  promised  Messiah  in  the  arms  of  his  fiiith,  can 
go  down  to  the  chambers  of  the  grave  with  a 


LIFE    OF    HERVEY.  35 

peaceful  tranquility  ;  and  it  is  a  most  reviving  and 
delightful  truth,  that  Christ  has  suffered  in  our 
stead,  and  borne  our  sins  in  His  own  body  on  the 
tree.  When  I  was  lately  on  the  verge  of  etermty, 
and  just  going  to  launch  into  the  invisible  world, 
I  could  find  consolation  in  nothing  but  in  this 
precious,  precious  faith.  If  all  my  iniquities  were 
laid  on  the  beloved  Son,  they  will  never  be  laid 
to  my  charge  in  the  day  of  judgment ;  if  the 
blessed  Jesus  made  satisfoction  for  my  transgres- 
sions, the  righteous  God  will  never  demand  two 
payments  for  one  debt.*  What  an  anchor  for  the 
soul  is  such  a  belief !  how  sure  and  steadfast ! 
May  it  be  our  solace  in  life,  and  our  security  in 

death.' 

'  Amidst  all  the  languors  of  decaying  nature, 

this  is  the  most  sovereign  support — free  justifica- 

*  How  clearly  and  forcibly  has  the  heavenly-minded  Mc- 
Cheyne  illustrated  this  divine  truth  in  the  following  passage  • 
'Look  at  Isaiah  40,  i,  ii,  "  Comfort  ye,  comfort  ye,  my  people." 
If  you  receive  Christ  as  your  Surety,  you  have  realized  double 
punishment  for  all  your  sins.  The  sufferings  of  Christ  for  us 
were  as  honoring  to  God  as  if  we  had  suffered  eternal  punish- 
ment thrice  over.  If  you  will  only  open  your  arms  to  receive 
Christ  as  your  Surety,  then  your  iniquity  is  pardoned.  You 
will  taste  immediate  forgiveness.  Your  warfare  with  the  law 
and  an  accusing  conscience  will  be  immediately  accomplished. 
If  you  will  only  lay  hold  on  Christ  now,  you  will  feel  the 
force  of  that  sweet  command,  "  Comfort  ye,  comfort  ye," 
double  comfort,  double  peace,  for  in  Jesus  you  have  suffered 
double  wrath.' 


36  LIFE    OF   HERVEY. 

tion  through  Jesus  Chnst;  a  comfortable  persua- 
sion that  He  has  removed  our  sins  from  us,  as  far 
as  the  east  is  from  the  west ;  that  He  has  cast  them 
all  into  the  deeps  of  the  sea,  and  will  present  us 
to  Himself,  not  having  spot  or  wrinkle,  or  any  such 
thing.' 

Hervey's  last  illness  was  long  and  painful ;  but 
his  faith  grew  brighter  as  he  grew  more  feeble. 
The  love  of  Christ  was  now,  as  formerly,  the 
theme  on  which  he  loved  to  dwell,  and  the  divine 
atonement  was  the  consolation  of  his  dying  hour. 
Let  us  listen  to  his  last  words,  and  see  with  what 
composure,  and  even  triumph,  a  Christian  can 
close  his  eyes  in  death  : — '  My  grand  consolation 
is  to  meditate  on  Christ,  and  I  am  hourly  repeat- 
ing these  heart-reviving  lines  of  Dr.  Young,  in  his 
*  Fourth  Night : 

*  This,  only  this,  subdues  the  fear  of  death : 
And  what  is  this  ?  Survey  the  Tvondrous  cure, 
And  at  each  step  let  higher  wonder  rise  ! 
Pardon  for  infinite  offence !  and  pardon 
Through  means  that  speak  its  .value  infinite  ! 
A  parclon  bought  wath  blood  !    with  blood  divine  ! 
With  blood  divine  of  Him  I  made  my  foe  ! 
Persisted  to  provoke  !  though  woo'd  and  aw'd, 
Bless'd  and  chastis'd,  a  flagrant  rebel  still ! 
A  rebel  'midst  the  thunders  of  His  throne  !  . 
Nor  I  alone,  a  rebel  universe  ! 
My  species  up  in  arms  !  not  one  exempt ! 
Yet  for  the  foulest  of  the  foul  He  died ; 
Most  joy'd  for  the  redeemed  fi-om  deepest  guilt. 
As  if  our  race  were  held  of  highest  rank, 
And  Godhead  dearer,  as  more  kind  to  man  !' 


LIFE   OF    HERVEY.  37 

Several  clays  before  liis  departure,  he  told  a 
dear  friend  that  the  fear  of  death  was  removed. 
'  Do  not  thinlv/  said  he,  '  I  am  afraid  to  die  ;  I 
assure  you  I  am  not ;  I  Imow  what  my  Saviour 
hath  done  for  me  ;  I  want  to  be  gone,  but  I  won- 
der and  lament  to  think  of  the  love  of  Christ  in 
doing  so  much  for  me,  and  how  little  I  have  done 
for  Him.'  A  few  hours  before  he  breathed  his 
last  his  pious  and  beloved  physician,  Dr.  Stone- 
house,*  on  seeing  the  great  difficulty  and  pain 
with  which  he  spoke,  desired  him  that  he  would 
spare  himself.  '  No,'  said  the  dying  man,  with 
peculiar  earnestness,  '  Doctor,  no,  you  tell  me  I 
have  but  a  few  minutes  to  live  ;  O  let  nie  spend 
them  in  adorinjj  our  great  Redeemer  !'  He  then 
repeated  the  twenty-sixth  verse  of  the  seventy- 
third   Psalm — '  My  flesh  and  my  heart  faileth  ; 

*  Sir  James  Stonehouse  was  born  in  171G,  in  Berkshire, 
England.  He  was  educated  at  the  University  of  Oxford,  and 
there  received  his  degree  of  M.  D.,  in  1745.  He  first  practiced 
as  a  physician  at  Coventry,  and  afterwards  at  Northampton, 
to  which  place  he  removed  in  1748.  He  was  then  an  avowed 
infidel,  and  the  author  of  a  pamphlet  against  the  Christian 
religion.  But  by  the  pious  efforts  of  Doddi-idge  and  Hervey 
he  was  led  to  renounce  his  infidelity,  and  to  embrace  the  pre- 
cious doctrines  of  Christianity.  At  Northampton  he  had  a 
very  extensive  medical  practice.  He  is  said  to  have  been 
'very  assiduous  in  his  attentions  to  Mr.  Hervey 's  health  and 
comfort.     He  would  be  sometimes  in  his  carriage  at  "Weston 

by  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  was  often  with  him  in  his 

4 


38  T^lFE   OF    HERVEY. 

but  God  is  the  strength  of  my  heart,  and  my  por- 
tion forever.'  He  now  ex^jatiated  in  a  most  delight- 
ful manner  on  the  words  of  the  Apostle  in  1  Cor. 
iii,  21-23  :  '  All  things  are  yours  ;  whether  Paul 
or  Apollos,  or  Cephas,  or  the  woi'ld,  or  life,  or 
death,  or  things  present,  or  things  to  come  ;'  at 
the  same  time  referring  his  friends  to  the  exposi- 
tion of  this  passage  by  Dr.  Doddi-idge.*     '  Here,' 

study.'  When  the  Dr.  himself  was  once  recovering  from  a 
dangerous  illness,  Hervey  addressed  these  remarkable  words 
to  him  :  '  I  really  believe  God  has  some  signal  work  for  you 
to  do.  He  that  has  snatched  the  brand  from  the  fire,  and 
made  it  a  polished  shaft  in  His  quiver,  will  not,  I  persuade 
myself,  so  soon  cast  it  away,  or  break  it  to  pieces.  I  have  a 
strong  presage,  that  Almighty  goodness  will  continue  you  as 
an  instrument  to  glorify  His  Son  Jesus  Christ,  to  turn  many 
to  righteousness,  years  and  years  after  I  am  gone  hence  and 
seen  no  more.'  Strange  to  say,  Dr.  Stonehouse,  after  prac- 
ticing twenty  years  as  a  physician,  with  great  success  and 
pecuniary  profit,  entered  the  Christian  ministry,  and  became 
a  very  popular  preacher,  and  a  man  of  eminent  piety.  He 
was  rector  of  Great  and  Little  Cheverell,  in  "Wiltshire,  '  where 
he  became  the  spiritual  guide  of  Hannah  ]\Iore,  and  the  "]\Ir. 
Johnson"  of  her  admirable  and  far-famed  tract,  The  Shepherd 
of  Salisbury  Plain.'  In  1795,  thirty-seven  years  after  the 
death  of  Hervey,  he  departed  this  life,  in  the  80th  year  of  his 
age,  and  full  of  the  hope  of  a  blessed  immortality.  Dr.  Stone- 
house  wrote  the  Sick  Man's  Friend,  and  other  religious  tracts. 

*While  Hervey  was  at  Weston-Favel,  Dr.  Doddi-idge  was 
one  of  his  most  intimate  and  beloved  friends.  He  was  born 
in  1702,  and  died  in  1751,  seven  years  before  Hervey.  In 
1748,  he  published  his  beautiful,  instructive,  and  effective 
sermon  on  Christ's  Grarious  Invitation  to  Thirstj/  Soids,  and 
inscribed  it  to  Hervey.    In  this  dedication  he  says  :  '  Be  assu- 


LIFE    OF    HERVEY.  39 


said  he,  '  here  is  the  treasure  of  a  Christian  ;  death 
is  reclvoncd  among  this  inventory,  and  a  noble 
treasure  it  is  !  How  tliankful  am  I  for  death,  as 
it  is  the  passage  through  which  I  go  to  the  Lord 
and  giver  of  eternal  life,  and  as  it  frees  me  from 
all  the  misery  which  you  see  me  now  endure,  and 
which  I  am  willing  to  endure  as  long  as  God  sees 
fit ;  for  I  know  that  He  will,  by  and  Ijy,  in  His 
own  good  time,  dismiss  me  from  the  body.  These 
afilictions  are  but  for  a  moment,  and  then  comes 
an  eternal  weight  of  glory.  O  welcome  !  welcome 
death  !  thou  mayest  well  be  reckoned  among  the 
treasures  of  the  Christian ;  to  live  is  Christ,  and 
to  die  is  gain  1  Lord,  now  lettest  thou  Thy  ser- 
vant depart  in  peace,  according  to  Thy  most  holy 

red,  sir,  that  no  man  living  can  more  sincerely  rejoice  in  the 
acceptance  of  your  labors,  and  particularly  in  that  great  and 
general  admiration  in  which  your  pious  and  excellent  Con- 
templations  are  so  justly  held,  by  persons  of  almost  every  rank 
and  genius,  education  and  profession;  so  that  the  warmest 
friendship  can  hardly  dictate  a  higher  wish  relating  to  them, 
than  that  they  may  be  as  useful,  as  they  are  delightful  to  all 
your  readers.' 

When  Hervey  was  informed,  by  Dr.  Stonehouse,  that 
Doddridge  was  lying  very  ill  at  a  village  near  Lisbon,  in 
Portugal,  (where  he  had  gone  for  the  benefit  of  his  health,) 
and  that  he  was  not  expected  to  live  any  time,  ho  made  this 
excellent  remark  :  '  The  departure  of  valuable  persons  should 
tend  to  wean  us  from  the  world,  and  endear  heaven  to  our 
affections.  Beza  said,  when  he  was  told  of  Calvin's  death, 
"  Now  I  have  a  fresh  motive  to  be  as  a  stranger  on  earth,  and 
set  uiy  atfections  on  the  things  above."' 


40  LIFE    OF   HERVET. 

and  comfortable  word,  for  mine  eyes  have  seen 
Thy  most  precious  and  comfortable  salvation. 
Here,  Doctor,  is  my  cordial ;  what  are  all  the 
cordials  given  to  support  the  dying,  in  compari- 
son of  that  which  arises  from  the  promises  of  sal- 
vation by  Christ  ?  This,  this  supports  me.'* 
Shortly  before  his  happy  spirit  bade  adieu  to  pain 
and  sorrow  and  winged  its  way  to  the  heavenly  rest, 
he  exclaimed  in  language  of  triumph  :  '  TIiq  con- 
fict  is  over;  now  all  is  done  P  After  this  he 
scarcely  uttered  any  other  words  intelligibly, 
except  ^jpredous  salvation.''  Leaning  his  head 
against  the  side  of  an  easy  chair,  he  gently  closed 
his  eyes,  on  Christmas  afternoon,  1758,  and  with- 
out a  sigh,  groan  or  struggle,  ceased  to  breathe, 
in  the  forty-fifth  year  of  his  age.  On  the  fourth 
of  the  following  January  his  friend,  the  Rev. 
William  Eomainef  preached  his  funeral  sermon 

* '  0,  how  precious  did  salvation  then  appear  to  him,  when 
he  found  death  coining  disarmed,  and  without  a  sting  !  and  it 
grew  still  more  precious  when,  with  his  last  breath,  he  decla- 
red, that  death  had  no  power  to  hurt  the  peace  of  God,  which 
ruled  in  his  heart;  for  even  then,  he  found  salvation  pre- 
cious.'— Romaine's  Funeral  Sermon  on  Hervey. 

t  Rev.  William  Romaine  was  one  of  Ilervcy's  most  valued 
friends.  lie  was  born  at  Hartlepool,  in  the  county  of  Dur- 
ham, England,  on  the  25th  of  September,  1714.  He  was  edu- 
cated at  the  University  of  Oxford ;  and  ordained  to  the  work 
of  the  ministry,  in  1738.  lie  was  lecturer  of  St.  Botolph's, 
London,  in  1748,  and  of  St.  Duustan-in-the-West,  in  1749. 


LIFE    OP    HERVEY.  41 

from  these  words  in  Luke  ii ;  29,  30,  '  Lord,  now 
lettcst  Thou  Thy  servant  depart  in  peace,  accord- 
ing to  Thy  word  :  for  niinc  eyes  have  seen  Thy 
salvation.' 

Ta  the  following  year  he  became  assistant  morning  preacher 
at  St.  George's,  Hanover  Square,  London.     It  was,  perhaps, 
about  this  time  that  he  formed  an  intimate  acquaintance  with 
Ilervcy,  whom   he  afterwai-ds   so   highly  esteemed  and  so 
dearly  loved.     About  the  year  1752  he  was  appointed  profes- 
sor of  x\stronomy  in  Gresliam    College.     In  1764,    he   was 
chosen  to  the  rectory  of  Blackfriars.     It  is  interesting  to  know 
that  Romaine  received  a  pressing  invitation  to  accept  the  pas- 
toral cliarge  of  St.  Paul's  Church,   in  Philadelphia,  with  a 
salary  of  £Q00  a  year.     This  invitation  he  saw  fit  to  decline. 
He  died  on  the  26th  of  July,  1795,  at  the   advanced  age  of 
eighty.     His  last  hours  were  full  of  Christian  triumph.     He 
was  strong  in  fliith,  constantly  praying  and  giving  glory  to 
God,    to  the   last.     Within  a  short   time   of  his   death   he 
exclaimed,  '  0,  how  animating  is  the  view  which  I  now  have 
of  death,  and  the  hope  laid  up  for  me  in  heaven  full  of  glory 
and  immortality  !  0,  how  good  is  God  !  What  entertainments 
and  comforts  does  He  give  me :  What  a  prospect  do  I  see 
before  me  of  glory  and  immortality.     He  is  my  God  in  life, 
in  death,  and   throughout  eternity.'    '  Yea,  though  I  -R-alk 
through  the  valley  and  shadow  of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil, 
for  Thou  art  with  me.'     When  one  said  to  liim,  about  an 
hour  before  he  died,  '  I  hope,  my  dear  sir,  you  now  find  the 
salvation  of  Jesus  Christ  precious,  dear  and  valuable  to  you,' 
he  replied,  with  confidence  and  joy,  '  He  is  a  precious  Saviour 
to  me  now.'     A  little  after  tliis  he  uttered  his  last  words  in 
this  most  happy  exclamation,  'Holy,  Holy,  Holy !  Holy  blessed 
Jesus,  to  Thee  be  endless  praise ."     Thus  triumphantly  did  he 
fall  asleep  in  Jesus. 

The  best  edition  of  Romaine's  works  is  that  in  8  vols.  8vo. 
London,  1796.  There  is  an  edition  in  one  volume,  8vo.  Lou- 
don,   1837,   and  another  in   1850,   8vo.      'Romaine,'   says 

4* 


42  LIFE    OF   HEKVEY. 

Thus  died  the  saintly  James  Hervey,  sustained 

and  cheered  by  the  Saviour's  presence  and  love  ; 

and  leaving  behind  him  a  noble  testimony  to  the 

preciousncss  of  the  Christian  religion,  and  to  its 

perfect  adaptation  to  the  wants  of  the  immortal 

spirit  in  life  and  in  death.     In  the  departure  of 

Hervey  how  truly  may  it  be  said,  that  the  day  of 

his  death  was  better  than  the  day  of  his  birth  ! 

'  Tis  a  blessing  to  live,  but  a  greater  to  die, 
And  the  best  of  the  world  is  its  path  to  the  sky,— 
Be  it  gloomy  or  bright,  for  the  life  that  He  gave 
Let  us  thank  Ilim— but  blessed  be  God  for  the  grave. 
'Tis  the  end  of  our  toil,  'tis  the  crown  of  our  bliss, 
'Tis  the  portal  of  happiness— aye,  but  for  this. 
How  hopeless  were  sorrow,  how  narrow  were  love, 
If  they  looked  not  from  earth  to  the  rapture  above.' 

As  a  preacher  Hei-vey  was  impressive,  instruc- 
tive, and  eloquent.  His  oratory  was  energetic, 
impassioned  and  enchaining.  Always  earnest,  he 
became   more  and  more  animated  towards   the 

Lowndes,  '  was  a  zealous  Calvinist,  but  firmly  attached  to  the 
Church  of  England.  His  writings  are  much  esteemed,  and 
have  been  often  printed ;  especially  his  Life,  Walk,  and  Tri- 
umph of  Faith,  which  were  published  separately,  London, 
1794-5,  12mo.— The  three  works  in  one  volume,  London, 
1800,  12mo.  There  is  an  excellent  edition  of  the  Life,  Walk, 
and  Triumph  of  Faith,  with  an  Introduction  by  Dr.  Chalmers, 
Glas"-ow,  1827,  12mo.  Romaine  was  editor  of  Calasio's  He- 
brew Concordance  and  Lexicon.  See  an  excellent  account  of 
him  in  the  Evanfrelical  Magazint,  for  November,  1795 ;  and 
also  his  Life  by  the  Hon.  aud  Rev.  W.  B.  Cadogan.  London, 
170G,  8vo.  and  prefixed  to  his  works. 


LIFE    OF    IIERVEY.  43 

close  of  liis  discourses,  exerting  himself  often 
beyond  his  strength,  and  appealing  forcibly  to  the 
conscience.  In  a  high  degree  his  language  was 
pathetic,  beautiful  and  sublime.  His  principal 
excellences  as  a  pulpit  orator  consisted  in  clear 
and  forcible  conception,  in  lucid  and  easy  arrange- 
ment, in  jDerspicuous  and  glowing  diction,  in  a 
lofty  and  brilliant  imagination,  in  a  pungent  and 
solemn  appeal,  and  in  a  fervent  delivery.* 

The  grand  theme  of  his  preaching,  as  well  as 
of  his  wi'itings  and  conversation,  was  the  exhibi- 
tion of  Christ  and  BUm  crucified.  Says  he,  '  I  have 
but  one  subject  on  which  I  talk,  write  and  preach  ; 
all  is  subservient  to  Christ ;  all  centers  in  Christ.' 

*Rev.  Dr.  Haweis,  who  had  the  pleasure  of  hearing  Hervey 
deliver  a  discourse  not  long  before  his  death,  has  furnished 
the  following  account :  '  My  knowledge  and  acquaintance  with 
Mr.  Hervey  was  only  of  one  day,  of  one  Sabbath :  he  was 
removing  from  his  ministerial  labors,  just  as  I  was  ready  to 
enter  upon  them,  and  being  very  desirous  of  seeing  him  before 
his  departure  to  glory,  and  if  I  might  secure  but  a  thread  of 
the  mantle  of  Elijah,  I  rode  from  Oxford  to  Weston-Favel, 
his  parish,  a  distance  of  about  fifty  mUes  for  that  purpose.  I 
found  him  tall,  and  much  emaciated  :  with  serenity  of  counte- 
nance, and  a  cordial  welcome,  he  asked  me  to  dine  and  spend 
the  day  with  him,  which  I  accepted  with  pleasure.  His 
preaching  was  purely  evangehcal,  and  very  similar  to  his  wri- 
tings, in  beautiful  comments  on  the  Scriptures  he  quoted ; 
but  his  manner  of  delivery  far  from  the  elegance  I  expected 
in  the  tone  of  voice  and  action.  His  church  was  very  small, 
and,  though  full,  not  remarkably  crowded;  but  the  people 
were  yery  attentive  to  hear  him.' 


44  LIFE  OF  HERVEY. 

He  was  never  weary  of  expatiatiug  on  the  Person, 
the  grace,  and  the  atonement  of  Jesus.  These 
were  his  favorite  topics  ;  and  would  they  were 
the  favorite  themes  of  all  who  are  invested  with 
the  ministerial  office.  The  love  of  Christ — that 
exhaustless  theme — '  fired  all  his  thoughts,  and 
enraptured  all  his  inward  powers.'  While  con- 
templating a  suliject  so  interesting  and  important, 
so  amazing  and  divine,  so  rich  and  cheering,  he 
would  repeat,  with  transports  of  joy,  the  follow- 
ing lines  of  Dr.  Young  : 

'  0,  goodness  infinite !  goodness  immense ! 
And  love  that  passeth  knowledge,  are  vain  words, 
Language  is  lost  in  wonder  so  divine, 
Come  then,  expressive  silence,  muse  His  praise.' 

With  great  beauty  and  force  did  he  discourse 
on  the  Divine  love — a  love  which  was  abundantly 
shed  abroad  in  liis  own  heart,  and  which  he  con- 
stantly sought  to  unfold  to  others,  in  its  various 
forms — in  its  breadth^  and  length,  its  de])tJi,  and 
height. 

'  He  had  an  excellency,'  says  Romaine,  '  which  I 
never  saw  to  so  great  a  degree  in  any  other  per- 
son. He  never  let  an  opportunity  slip  of  speak- 
ing of  the  love  of  Christ.' 

We  would  here  introduce  a  few  of  his  remarks 
on  the  commencement,  duration,  cflects,  and  fruits 
of  our  Saviour's  love  :-^ 


LIFE  OF  HERVEY.  46 

'  The  co7nmencement  of  His  love. — His  love  is 
not  of  yestertlay  ;  His  love,  like  His  outgoings,  is 
from  everlasting.  "I  have  loved  thee,"  says  He 
to  the  church,  "  with  an  everlasting  love."  We 
value  the  affection  that  is  of  long  standing,  has 
taken  deep  root,  and  still  continues  unshaken. 
How  excellent,  then,  is  Thy  loving  Idndness,  O, 
blessed  Jesus  I  which,  before  the  mountains  were 
brought  forth,  or  ever  the  earth  and  the  world 
were  made,  was  fixed  upon  sinful  dust !  O  that 
we  should  be  in  the  thoughts,  be  upon  the  very 
heart,  of  God's  adorable  Son,  even  from  the  ages 
of  eternity  ! 

'  The  duration  of  His  love. — It  is  invariable  and 
eternal.  "  Having  loved  His  own,  He  loveth  them 
even  unto  the  end."  It  neither  began  with  time, 
neither  will  it  end  mth  time.  As  no  worthiness 
in  us  caused  it,  so  neither  will  our  failings  extin- 
guish it,  no,  nor  our  infirmities  damp  it.  We 
change  frequently  ;  our  holy  frames  fsiil ;  but  our 
adored  Redeemer  is  the  "  same  yesterday,  to-day, 
and  forever."  Fear  not,  then  ;  "  Neither  life  nor 
death,  nor  things  present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor 
any  other  creature,  shall  be  able  to  separate  us 
from  the  ever  tender,  the  ever  constant,  the  ever 
triumphant  love  of  God  our  Saviom-." 


46  LIFE  OF  HERVEY. 

'  The  effects  of  His  love— It  brought  Him  from 
the  heaven  of  heavens,  to  dwell  in  clay,  and  be 
lodsed  in  a  manojcr.  It  brought  Him  from  those 
happy  mansions,  where  is  the  "fulness  of  joy," 
and  where  "  are  pleasures  for  evermore,"  to  be 
destitute,  afflicted,  tormented  in  this  vale  of  tears. 
It  made  Him,  who  is  heir  of  all  things,  not  to  have 
where  to  lay  His  head  ;  till  He  was  stretched  on 
the  racking  cross,  and  laid  in  the  gloom  of  the 
grave.  Unparalleled  and  stupendous  !  "  Who 
can  declare  the  noble  acts  of  the  Eedeemer's  love, 
or  show  forth  all  His  praise  ?" 

'ThQ  fruits  of  this  love.— To  this  is  owing  all 
the  good  we  possess  or  expect,  every   spiritual 
and  heavenly  blessing.     If  our  eyes  are  enlight- 
ened, in  any  degree,  to  see  the  things  that  belong 
to  our  peace  ;  if  our  desires  are  awakened  to  seek 
the  "  inheritance  incorruptible,  undefiled,  and  that 
fadeth  not  away  ;"  for  this  we  are  indebted  to  the 
love  and  grace  of  Christ.     If  we  are  sanctified  in 
part,  and  desirous  to  grow  in  true  godliness  ;  ii 
we  are  perfectly  justified  before  God,  and  adopted 
to  be   His   sons   and  daughters  ;  these   also   are 
streams,  which  issue  from  that  inexhaustible  foun- 
tain, the  love  of  Christ.     As  it  was  stronger  than 
death  in  its  actings  and  suflferings,  it  is  richer  than 
all  worlds  in  its  precious,  precious  fruits.  All  the 


LIFE  OF  IIERVET.  47 

inconceivable  and  everlasting  joys  of  the  glorified 
state  are  its  purchase  and  its  gift. 

'Justly,  therefore,  does  the  Scripture  make  use 
of  all  the  endearing  relations  that  subsist  among 
mankind,  to  represent  the  love  of  Christ.  Great 
is  the  love  of  a  friend;  greater  the  love  of  a  bro- 
ther ;  greater  still  the  love  of  a  parent ;  greatest 
of  all  the  love  of  a  bridegroom  :— but  infinitely 
greater  than  any,  than  all,  is  the  love  of  the  ever- 
blessed  Immanuel  to  His  people.  When  all  has 
been  said,  all  has  been  imagined,  it  transcends 
every  comparison,  it  exceeds  all  thought  ;  or,  as 
St.  Paul  speaks,  "  it  passeth  knowledge."  ' 

The  divinity  of  the  atonement  was  a  topic  which 
afibrded  Hervey  the  higliest  pleasure  ;  and  one 
on  which  he  was  accustomed  to  enlarge  in  exalted 
language. 

'  For  my  own  part,'  says  he,  '  I  feel  no  conso- 
lation, but  when  this  truth  is  operative  upon  my 
mind.  When  you  see  me  at  the  great  tribunal, 
you  will  behold  one  of  the  poorest  and  vilest  of 
sinners  made  perfectly  free  from  guilt— made 
whiter  than  the  mountain  snow,  by  the  precious 
blood  of  Jesus.  Let  us  not  dishonor  that  blood 
which  is  dignified  above  all  things.  It  is  the 
blood  of  God's  beloved  Son.  It  is  the  blood  of 
Him  who  is  God's  fellow.   It  is  the  blood  of  Him 


48  LIFE    OF    HERVEY. 

who  is  God  over  all  blessed  forever.  Surely, 
then,  its  value  must  be  immense,  its  efficacy  iuti- 
nite  ;  it  must  cleanse  from  all  sin,  and  with  a 
perfection  that  is  matchless  and  inconceivable.' 

As  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  Hervey  was  faith- 
ful to  the  immortal  interests  of  his  hearers,  setting 
before  them  the  way  of  life  and  death,  earnestly 
beseeching  sinners  to  comply  with  the  gospel 
method  of  salvation — ^to  submit  themselves  '  unto 
the  righteousness  of  God' — to  seek  for  '  the  old 
paths,  where  is  the  good  way.'  Nor  did  he  fail 
to  administer  serious  admonition  when  necessary. 
Without  dwelling  on  this  point,  we  would  only 
relate  a  striking  anecdote  as  a  good  illustration 
of  his  faithfulness  when  out  of  the  pulpit. 

'  Being  once  on  a  journey,  a  lady  who  happened 
to  be  in  the  same  carriage,  was  expatiating  in  a 
particular  manner  on  the  amusements  of  the  stage, 
as  in  her  esteem  superior  to  any  other  pleasures. 
Among  other  things,  she  said,  there  was  the  plea- 
sure of  thinking  on  the  play  before  she  went,  the 
pleasure  she  enjoyed  while  there,  and  the  pleasure 
of  ruminating  on  it  in  her  bed  at  night.  Mr. 
Hervey,  who  sat  and  heard  her  discourse  without 
interrupting  her,  when  she  had  concluded,  said  to 
her  in  a  mild  manner,  that  there  was  one  plcasm-e 
more  besides  what  she  had  mentioned,  which  she 


LIFE    OF    HERVEY.  49 

had  forirot.  "  What  can  that  be  ?"  said  she  ;  "  for 
sure  I  have  included  every  pleasure,  when  I  con- 
sidered the  enjoyment  beforehand,  at  the  time, 
and  afterwards.  Pray,  Sir,  what  is  it  ?"  Mr. 
Hervey,  with  a  grave  look,  and  in  a  manner  pecu- 
liar to  himself,  replied,  "■  Madam^  tJie  pleasure  it 
will  give  you  on  your  deatli-hedP  A  clap  of  thun- 
der, or  a  flash  of  lightning,  would  not  have  struck 
her  with  more  surprise  :  the  stroke  went  to  her 
very  heart.  She  had  not  one  word  to  say,  but, 
during  the  rest  of  the  journey,  seemed  quite  occu- 
pied in  thinldng  upon  it.  In  short,  the  conse- 
quence of  this  well-timed  sentence  was,  that  she 
never  after  went  to  the  play-house,  but  became  a 
pious  woman,  and  a  follower  of  those  pleasures 
which  would  afford  her  true  satisfaction  even  on 
a  death-bed.' 

Hervey's  intellect  was  clear  and  capacious  ;  his 
imagination  vivid  and  sublime  ;  his  memory  re- 
tentive and  highly  cultivated  ;  and  his  acquaint- 
ance with  history,  philosophy,  and  theology,  inti- 
mate and  extensive.  He  was  indeed  a  good  scholar 
in  classical  literature  and  Hebrew,  and  especially 
was  very  familiar  Avith  Greek.  No  one  can  peruse 
his  writings  without  perceiving  that  he  was  well 
acquainted  with  the  productions  of  ancient  genius. 

Homer,  Horace,  and  Virgil,  especially  the  last, 
6 


50  LIFE    OF    HERVEY. 

aiDpear  to  have  been  his  favorite  classical  au- 
thors. While  he  thus  loved  to  read  the  classics, 
he  delighted  especially  in  sacred  literature.  Among 
his  fovorite  Christian  authors  were  Jenks,  Mar- 
shall, the  Erskines,  Boston,  Trail,  Owen,  Hall, 
Beveridge,  Howe,  Bates,  Charuock,  Leighton, 
Bunyan,  JMiltou,  Young  and  Watts.  To  the  last 
named  divine  and  poet,  he  writes  :  '  Your  works 
have  long  been  my  delight  and  study  ;  the  favo- 
rite pattern,  by  which  I  would  form  my  conduct, 
and  model  my  style.'  But  his  greatest  delight 
was  in  the  study  and  contemplation  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. In  some  of  his  letters  he  writes  :  '  For  my 
part,  I  propose  to  addict  myself  with  more  inces- 
sant assiduity  to  tliis  delightful  and  divine  study 
of  the  Book  of  God.  Away,  my  Homer,  I  have 
no  need  of  being  entertained  by  you,  since  Job 
and  the  prophets  furnish  me  with  images  much 
more  magnificent,  and  lessons  infinitely  more  im- 
portant. Away,  my  Horace,  nor  shall  I  suffer  any 
loss  by  your  absence,  while  the  sweet  singer  of 
Israel  tunes  his  lyre,  and  inspires  me  with  the 
noblest  strains  of  devotion  :  and  even  my  prime 
favorite,  my  Virgil,  may  withdraw,  since  in  Isaiah 
I  enjoy  all  his  correctness  of  judgment,  and  all 
his  beautiful  propriety  of  diction.' — '  When  we 
enter  into  the  world,  metliinlvs  we  launch  into  a 


LIFE    OF    HERVEY.  §1 

troubled  sea  ;  when  wc  retire  into  the  closet,  and 
exercise  ourselves  in  God's  Word,  we  find  a  quiet 
haven.     The  Scriptures  are  sources  of  peace,  as 
well  as  oracles  of  truth.' — '  I  want  to  be  better 
acquainted  with  God's  Holy  Word ;  to  have  its 
inestimable  truths   lodged   in   my  memory,   its 
heavenly  doctrines  impressed   upon   my  heart; 
that  my  tempers  may  take  their  fashion  from  it, 
and  my  public  administrations  be  enriched  by  it. 
O,  that  the  Word  may  dwell  in  us  richly  !'    The 
Bible  was  to  Hervey  truly  an  unfailing  source  of 
consolation  and  of  joy.     He  could  also  say  with 
the  inspired  psalmist  :  '  O  how  love  I  Thy  law  ! 
it  is  my  meditation  all  the  day.     How  sweet  are 
Thy  words  unto   my  taste !    yea,    sweeter   than 
honey  to  my  mouth  !   I  love  Thy  commandments 
above  gold,  yea,  above  fine  gold.'  How  he  delio-hts 
to  discourse  on  the  excellency  of  the  sacred  Vol- 
ume, and  to  press  its  glorious  truths  on  the  minds 
of  his  hearers  !     In  his  sermon  on  SearcJdng  the 
Sc7'iptu7'es  he  exclaims  : 

'  O  blessed  Book  !  our  better,  our  spiritual  sun, 
that  sheddest  thy  bright  beams  upon  our  souls, 
and  furnishest  us  with  the  light  of  life  !  thou 
sovereign  antidote  against  the  delusions  of  the 
devil,  the  treachery  of  our  fallen  nature,  and  the 
darkness  of  the  world  !  thou  guide,   to  lead  us 


52  LIFE    OF    HERVEY. 

safely  from  the  waves  of  this  miseral)le  life  unto 
our  heavenly  and  everlasting  rest  I  No  wonder 
that  David  counted  his  kingdom  as  nothing,  and 
called  thee  his  heritage  and  portion  forever  ;  no 
wonder  the  holy  martp's  parted  with  their  estates, 
their  families,  their  blood,  rather  than  with  thee. 
'Tis  rather  to  be  wondered  at,  that  manldnd  do 
not  prize  thee  as  their  richest  jewel,  converse  with 
thee  as  their  sweetest  companion,  and  talk  of  thee 
as  the  dearest  object  of  their  love,  all  the  day 
long.  'Tis  with  regret  I  leave  oif  from  speaking 
of  thy  unspeakable  worth. 

*  Most  wondrous  Book !  bright  candle  of  the  Lord  ! 
Star  of  eternity !  the  only  star 
By  which  the  bark  of  man  could  navigate 
The  sea  of  life,  and  gain  the  coast  of  bliss 
Securely ;  only  star  which  rose  in  time 
And  on  its  dark  and  troubled  billows,  still 
As  generation  driving  swiftly  by, 
Succeeding  generation,  threw  a  ray 
Of  heaven's  own  light,  and  to  the  hills  of  God — 
The  everlasting  hills — pointed  the  sinner's  eye.' 

POLLOK. 

As  an  author,  Hervey  has  been  much  admired, 
though  persons  of  refined  taste  have  justl}^  found 
fault  with  his  florid  style.  Dr.  Blair  in  his  Lec- 
tures on  Rhetoric  and  Belles  Lettres,  has  this 
remark  :  '  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  it  reflects 
more  honor  on  the  religious  turn  and  good  dispo- 
sitions of  the  present  age,  than  on  the  public  taste, 
that  Mr.  Hervey's  Meditations  have  had  so  great 


LIFE    OP    IIERVEY.  53 

a  currency.     The    pious   and   l)encvo]cnt   heart 
■svhich  is  always  disi)hiyed  in  them,  and  the  lively 
fancy  which,  on  some  occasions,  appears,   justly 
merited  applause  ;  but  the   perpetual   glitter  of 
expression,  the  swollen  imagery  and  strained  de- 
scription which  abound  in  them,  are  ornaments  of 
a  false  kind.     I  would,  therefore,  advise  students 
of  oratory  to  imitate  Mr.  Hervey's  piety  rather 
than  his  style;  and  in  all  compositions  of  a  serious 
kind,  to  turn  their  attention,  as  Mr.  Pope  says, 
"  from  sounds  to  things,  from  fancy  to  the  heart."  ' 
Hervey's     style    has    also     been    criticised    by 
James  Montgomery,  the  poet,  in  his  Lectures  on 
Poetry  and  General  Literature  :  '  The  pious  sen- 
timents of  Hervey's  Meditations,''  he  says,  '  recom- 
mended the  fantastic  style  in  which  they  were 
disguised  to  multitudes,  who   persuaded  them- 
selves that  they  were  pleased  because  they  sup- 
posed that,  in  such  a  case,  they  ought  to  be,  with 
fine  words  and  so  many  of  them.'     But  notwith- 
standing the  acknowledged  defects  of  his  style, 
the  wi-itings  of  Hervey  have  been  very  popular, 
winning  the  encomiums  of  the  wise  and  good,  on 
account  of  the  remarkable  spirit  of  piety  by  which 
they  are  pervaded,  and  pleasing,  instructing,  and 
consoling  thousands  of  readers  on  both  sides  of 
the  Atlantic.  g. 


54  LIFE    OF    HERVEY. 

It  may  be  proper  to  remark  here  that  the  style 
of  Hervey's  sermons  and  other  wi'itings  is  not  open 
to  so  much  criticism,  in  point  of  floridit}^  as  that 
of  his  Meditations.  Dr.  Blair  and  Mr.  Mont- 
gomery's remarks  are  coirfined  to  this  work. 

CowTER  T\Tites — '  Perhaps  I  may  be  partial  to 

Ml'.  Hervey,  but  I  think   him  one  of  the   most 

scriptural   writers  in  the  world.'     And  also  the 

celebrated  Dr.  John  Witherspoon,*  in  dedicating 

his  Essmj  on  Justification  to  Hervey,  uses  the  fol- 

*  John  Witherspoon  was  born  near  Edinburgh  in  Scotland, 
on  the  5th  of  February,  1722.     He  was  lineally  descended 
from  the  famous  John  Knox.     He  was  educated  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Edinburgh ;  and  became  minister  of  the  parish  of 
Beith,  in  the  west  of  Scotland,  where  he  labored  with  great 
acceptance  and  faithfulness.     In  1757,  he  succeeded  the  Rev. 
Robert  Finley  as  pastor  of  a  large  church  at  Paisley.     In 
1768,  Dr.  Witherspoon  came  to  this  country  to  assume  the 
Presidency  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey.     On  the  22d  of 
June,  1776,  he  was  chosen  to  represent  the  Colony  of  New 
Jersey  in  the  Continental  Congress;  and  took  his  seat  in 
time  to  sign  the  Declaration  of  American  Independence.    For 
six  years  he  represented  the  State  of  New  Jersey  in  the  Gen- 
eral Congress.     '  During  the  whole  period  in  which  he  was 
occupied  in  civil  life,  he  never  laid  aside  his  ministerial  cha- 
racter, but  always  appeared  in  every  relation  as  became  an 
ambassador  of  God.'    He  died  on  the  15th  of  November,  1794, 
in  the  73d  year  of  his  age.     '  His  descent  to  the  grave,'  says 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Sprague,  '  was  comparatively  easy,  and  his  views 
and  feelings  in  reference  to  the  approaching  change  were  truly 
and  subhmely  Christian.' 

'There  is  an  edition  of  his  works  in  9  vols.  12mo.,  Edin- 
burgh, 1815  ;  and  another  in  3  vols.  8vo.,  Philadelphia,  1803. 
'His  works,'  says  Lowndes,  'are  in  considerable  estimation.' 


LIFE    OF   HERVET.  55 

lowing  expressions  :  '  You,  Sir,  are  one  of  those 
happy  few,  who  have  been  willing  to  consecrate 
the  finest  natural  talents  to  the  service  of  Christ 
in  the  gospel,  and  are  not  ashamed  of  His  cross. 
You  have  been  able  to  procure  attention  upon 
some  subjects  from  many  who  would  hardly  have 
given  it  to  any  other  writer.  This  hath  made  me 
observe,  with  particular  attention,  the  efiect  of  your 
last  performance,  Theron  and  Asjjasio,  the  cha- 
racter given  to  it,  and  the  objections  raised  against 
it.  And  I  have  always  found,  that  the  most  spe- 
cious and  plausible  objection,  and  that  most  fre- 
quently made  against  the  doctrine  of  justification 
by  imputed  righteousness,  has  been  in  this  case, 
as  indeed  usually  before,  that  it  loosens  the  obli- 
gations to  practice.  This  is  what  I  have  particu- 
larly applied  myself  to  refute  in  the  following 
Essay,  because  I  have  rarely  observed  it  done 
distinctly,  and  at  full  length,  in  any  writer.  And 
I  have  addressed  it  to  you,  as  a  testimony  of  my 
esteem  of  your  excellent  and  useful  writings,  as  a 
public  declaration  of  my  espousing  the  same  sen- 
timents as  to  the  terms  of  our  acceptance  with 
God,  and  my  ambition  of  contributing  some  small 
assistance  to  the  support  of  the  same  glorious 
cause.  *  *  That  your  useful  life  may  be  pro- 
longed, and  that  you  may  have  the  honor  of  con- 


56  LIFE    OF    HERVEY. 

tributing  more  and  more  to  the  conversion  of 
sinners,  and  the  edification  and  comfort  of  believ- 
ers, is  the  earnest  prayer  of,  sir,  your  most  obe- 
dient humble  servant,  John  Witherspoon.' 

We  may  add  the  estimate  of  the  excellent 
EiCHAED  Cecil,*  'a  man  deservedly  distinguished 
among  the  evangelical  clergymen  of  the  established 
Church.'  This  oriijinal  and  strikino;  wi'itcr  ol> 
serves  :  '  Let  us  do  the  world  justice,  it  has  very 
seldom  found  a  considerate,  gentle,  but  earnest, 
heavenly,  and  enlightened  teacher, — when  it  has 
found  such,  ti'uth  has  received  a  very  general 
attention.  Such  a  man  was  Heevey,  and  his 
works  have  met  their  reward.' 

Those  who  have  obtained  the  precious  gift  of 
saving  faith,  who  '  rejoice  in  Christ  Jesus,  and 
have  no  confidence  in  the  flesh,'  will  look  on 
Hervey  as  one  of  the  most  evangelical  and  judi- 
cious of  our  Christian  authors,  and  one  of  the 
most  pious  and  heavenly-minded  men  in  the 
Church  of  Christ.  And  in  contemplating  his  cha- 
racter, the  true  Christian  will  never  cease  to  ad- 
mire him  for  that  sincere  and  fervent  love  which 
glowed  in  his  heart  to  our  adorable  Redeemer  ; 
with  whose  glory  let  the  whole  earth  be  speedily 
filled. 

* '  His  Remains,  eminently  useful  to  ministers,  and  per- 
haps one  of  the  most  valuable  books  that  has  been  given  to 
them  in  modern  times.' — Bickerstetk. 


LIFE    OF    HERVEY.  57 

On  an  occasional  celebration  of  Ilervey's  virtues 
and  talents,  at  the  village  of  Weston-Favel,  in 
1823,  JiVMES  Montgomery  composed  the  following 
beautiful  tributary  poem,  which  will  form  an 
appropriate  conclusion  to  this  brief  memoir  : 

*  Where  is  the  house  for  all  the  living  found  ? 
— Go  ask  the  deaf,  the  dumb,  the  dead; 
All  answer,  without  voice  or  sound, 
Each  resting  in  his  bed ; 
Look  down  and  see. 
Beneath  thy  feet, 
A  place  for  thee ; 
— There  all  the  living  meet. 


^b 


■  Whence  comes  the  beauteous  progeny  of  spring ! 
— They  hear  a  still,  small  voice,  "  Awake !" 
And  while  the  lark  is  on  the  wing. 

From  dust  and  darkness  break ; 

Flowers  of  all  hues 

Laugh  in  the  gale. 

Sparkle  with  dews, 

And  dance  o'er  hill  and  dale. 

■  Who  leads  through  trackless  space  the  stars  of  night  ? 
— The  Power  that  made  them  guides  them  still ; 
They  know  Him  not,  yet,  day  and  night, 

They  do  His  perfect  will. 
Unchanged  by  age. 
They  hold  on  high 
Their  pilgrimage 
Of  glory  round  the  sky. 


58  LIFE    OF    HERVEY. 

'  Stars,  flowers,  and  tombs  -were  themes  for  solemn  thought 
With  him  whose  memory  we  recall ; 
Yet  more  than  eye  can  see  he  sought  : 
His  spirit  looked  through  all, 
Keenly  discerned 
The  truths  they  teach, 
Their  lessons  learned. 
And  gave  their  silence  speech. 

'  Go,  meditate  with  him  among  the  tombs, 
And  there  the  end  of  all  things  view ; 
Visit  with  him  spring's  earhest  bloom, 
See  all  things  there  made  new ; 
Thence  rapt  aloof 
In  ecstacy, 

Hear,  from  heaven's  roof. 
Star's  preach  eternity. 

•  We  call  him  blessed  whom  the  Lord  hath  blest, 
And  made  a  blessing ; — long  to  shed 
Light  on  the  living,  from  his  rest. 
And  hope  around  the  dead  : 
Oh!  for  his  lot, 
Who  dwells  in  light. 
Where  flowers  fade  not, 
And  stars  can  find  no  night.' 

THE   EKD. 


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Harsha, 

Life   of  the  Rev.   Jajnes  Hervey. 

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